Blood and Chocolate
by Sayo124
Summary: [AU] Maybe it was chance that L stumbled upon a nearly dead, unconscious mass murderer. Maybe it was chance that the murderer lost his memories. Or maybe it was just fate. But blood and chocolate were never meant to mix... LxLight Better summary inside.
1. The Beginning

-Indignantly- I'm not writing another fiction! Even if I am, you can't prove it! …Well, actually…

-Squee- I love L! Ah, oh. Please give me some feedback after you read this, guys! I _really_ need some reviews for this Fic. I like it now, but… If you don't, I'll stop. I have other Fictions I need to devote myself to. Please tell me if I'm wasting my time writing this.

**Oh, yeah, here's a better summary than the crappy thing outside**: L, a genius detective, chances upon Light one night and on a whim decides to care for the youth by himself rather than call the police. As it turns out, Light just-so-happens to be Kira, the criminal in the case that L is currently working on. As fate would have it, Light has lost his memories of ever being Kira. And before they know it, they're both in for something more than they can handle—forbidden feelings. But how w

**Disclaimer**: … This is a _Fanfiction_, no? Oh, good. For a second I thought I—but then—and you… -confusing and annoying herself- Yeah, it's not mine.

"_Pain--without love  
Pain--I can't get enough  
Pain--I like it rough cuz I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"_

_--"Pain," Three Days Grace_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_Chapter One: The Beginning_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Pain. Agonizing, unending, unmerciful, sanity-breaking, soul-splitting pain. 

And a burn.

Though that couldn't come close to threatening the goddamn _pain_. 

That was the only thing every fiber of his being--every nerve in his body--could feel. Pain and only pain. It started down at his toes--they were numb, though. He was pretty sure his one ankle was sprained, if not both. His legs were scratched up and his left knee might've been twisted. There was blood staining his ragged shirt and his head _throbbed_. Not just a headache or migraine throb, but a throb that echoed around his head, like a small hammer beating away at his skull.

The thing that pissed him off more than anything, however--more than the pain, more than the degrading humiliation of being caught in the middle of such a situation--was that he was completely and thoroughly _helpless_. He couldn't very well move since he was pretty sure he did something to his wrist, and even if he forced his arm to move, the agony of moving his screeching body would most likely kill him. And there was absolutely no way in _hell_ he would willingly allow someone else to help him.

How degrading--and ironic--would it be if he died here and now? He tried to force a chuckle out of his throat, but it came out dry, hollow, scratchy, and muffled. Immediately, he broke into a coughing fit. What a _becoming _way to die…

His coughs finally gave way, but he had let out all the breath he had in him and suddenly found it incredibly painful and too hard to bring in more. He wheezed several times before plummeting headlong into an eternal dark abyss.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

"Hmmm… The thought of a girlfriend ever cross your mind?" the woman slyly asked, tilting her head, giving a flashy smile, and clasping her hands, making her shoulder come together some which ultimately pushed out her breasts more.

Not that she needed to do _that_ to show it off.

The woman was naturally busty.

Giving the smallest hint of a smile--one of more surprise than anything--her "companion" inched back slightly in his seat in embarrassment. "I'm not really sure that's anything I considered…" he replied timidly, his voice obviously showing his nervousness--at least to himself. To everyone else, there was probably close to no different.

"But Ryuga-_cha-a-a-a-an_…" The long-lock hair wrapped her arms around his left arm, pressing her face against the sleeve of his shirt in a cat-like way, also pressing her shapely body against his own 'accidentally on purpose.' "How can someone like you have _never_ considered something like--?"

"If you would excuse me, Kimi-san, I have a very important engagement that I can't miss." Though he was still slightly surprised at her approach, he knew where this was going and there was just no way he would allow himself to do anything of the sort--he was allowed no attachments.

He deftly slipped his arm out of the grasp of the simply yet undeniably beautiful woman. "I apologize." He turned to go.

"W- Wait!" she called after him, apparently shocked that she was being _denied_. "Why are you leaving me?" When he stopped and turned his head ever so slightly in a hesitant manner, Kimi puffed out her bottom lip in a pout. "Ryuga-chan… how can you be so mean?"

He blink, a bit taken aback. Mean? _Him_?

"I know you want something other than work," she continued.

Another blink. 

"Didn't the last five minutes mean anything to you?" she asked, smiling coyly, confident in his answer.

Yet another blink. Then a pause. And finally, his answer. "No." It was at that comment that his head turned forward again and he continued out. 

Her face contorted in rage. "Yeah, I'll bet! You're probably some sort of man-whore." Almost as an after-thought, she added, under her breath, "You're truly a freak on the inside _and_ out, Ryuga-chan." Her words, though softly spoken, reached the ears of the one they were about.

Unruly ebony hair hid half of the other's face as he reached the door. "The percentage of you being correct is almost a definite one hundred… And my name is not Ryuga."

Then he was gone.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

L had known it had been a bad idea form the start to go out. It had been a pure spur of the moment idea he had gotten after analyzing some reports. 

Absolutely _nothing_ seemed to add up. It all went in circles and L's brain had actually started to hurt a little from his viscous thinking cycle. Several times he had thought it out--with every little detail and name stitched in his memory--and _every_ time, he came to a dead end or he made a full circle in his theories. 

It was absolutely _infuriating_!

Feeling pent up and in the need for some air, he had left his house only to wander around town for a while, desperate for something to keep his mind entertained for a while until he could clear his thoughts. After he had managed that, he planned on returning home and getting back to work.

He had passed several bars, of course, but as he made his way past one in particular--_Sanity's Edge_--a woman had seen him and had called out to him. Not wanting to appear rude, he gave her his attention, which had been mistake number one. If there was one thing he learned seven seconds after replying to the woman was this: Never let your guard down when passing bars, especially if poorly dressed prostitutes hung off them, waiting for the first guy to walk by, when they would leap like some sort of wild animal for the kill. He had barely gave her his name--an alias, of course--before she was yanking him inside, seducing him.

It had _not_ been pleasant.

L sighed and looked up at the dark sky. It had to be close to midnight. Maybe later than that even. All he knew is that he couldn't see any stars, and that wasn't due to the pollution--not entirely, anyway. There had been a chance of rain. Not just a chance, but an eighty-five percent chance. Fairly large. And if there was one thing L hated more then anything, it was getting caught in a storm while being several miles away from his--

A raindrop promptly fell down to plop on his nose. Followed by more. And soon, he was being assaulted by the large, cold raindrops. L's lip curled as he glared up at the sky as though it would somehow make the weather change. Must to his disdain, he was approximately a mile and a half away form his house. That was about a twenty-five minute walk… He could run and get there in fifteen… But he didn't have very good stamina and most likely than not, he wouldn't get more then five hundred meters before he'd stop, completely winded.

L sighed again. Mulling the situation over while standing wasn't getting him any closer to his destination. Almost without thinking about it, his feet started moving. He was already drenched to the bone and he supposed that it no longer mattered how long it would take him to get home. 

His face became the void mask that it usually was. As he continued to move, so did his brain. But now that his earlier 'problem' had been solved, his thoughts moved onto another topic. And this particular thought had been making him go insane for the last several months--_Kira_. The monster that was rampaging through Japan killing all the criminals he deemed sinners. The thought repulsed L. How could someone who has never met another kill them without a second thought? How could this _god_--sarcastic emphasis on the word _god_--judge people who he didn't know? The only reason why Kira knew they existed at all was because their name and face was on either the Internet or the News.

But what L couldn't understand was how this Kira figure _killed them without even touching them_. It was impossible. It was against the law of Nature. But somehow this monster did it. Mostly through heart attacks, but… Lately L couldn't help but wonder if maybe he could manipulate the victim before death and kill them in other ways than just a heart attack. 

Maybe this person used hypnosis somehow? Maybe he somehow, by knowing the name and face of the person, came into contact with them, hypnotized them, and then caused their heart to fail--?

L shook his head slightly. No. That made absolutely _no_ sense. Maybe he was cracking under all of this… 

Another slight shake of his head. No, he was the great and mighty _L_. There was no way that a case like this would cause him to lose his mind. He was in complete control of this situation, and he _was _going to find Kira. There was no way this phony god was going to scare him away or manipulate him. He was the one who controlled himself, and he alone. Some 'Kira' figure had no influence on--

And suddenly L, in his right mind of course, veered sharply to the left suddenly, turning down a small, abandoned road. His feet, which were _completely_ under his control of course, continued down the worn pavement. There was a moment of confusion as L wondered how he had managed to have never even seen this road before. His left eyebrow arched as his hands burrowed deeper into his pockets. Had he been spacing so much that he, if only for a second, acted on impulse instead of what he knew? He made a face. Of course he didn't! He had merely assumed that this road, which seemed to cut through the city, would get him home quicker. The fact that it looked incredibly dangerous and gloomy--the perfect place for a gang to jump people--had enticed him and he--

Oh, damn it all! His brows furrowed. Thoughts muddled, he decided to let that thought train gain it's equilibrium before further poking at it lest it topple over and explode. 

L continued down the road in silence, his overly large eyes scanning his surroundings for any possible threats. His black, bottomless pupils stopped on an unmoving shape on the ground not too far away. He hesitated a fraction of a second before deciding to investigate. The rain started pounding down harder, bouncing off the ground and pounding into his flesh.

L was about five feet away from the large mass when he stopped abruptly, breath hitching.

That 'unmoving shape' just-so-happened to be a body. L slowly closed the distance between himself and the lump and knelt down for a further examination. Definitely a body of a human, L's heart suddenly started pounding in his chest. Was it another victim of Kira? Had he killed another inno--

No. That couldn't be it. Unless Kira's IQ had suddenly decreased to that of a chimpanzee, it was nearly impossible for this to be a victim. The person had not suffered from a heart attack. The only way that Kira could have killed this person was if he had done it physically, and there was no way that the mighty Kira would stop so low and risk his defeat.

L's eyes scrutinized the mass of flesh before him. It was male, obviously, he could tell--and he hadn't even looked at the person's face. The well-toned, muscle-ridden body made it fairly easy to guess. Injuries included what looked like a sprained ankle, a twisted knee, two sprained if not fractured wrists, maybe even a dislocated shoulder. There was a bloody gash across the guys' stomach and many other scratched on his anatomy. 

L was planning on leaving without looking at the face of the victim, to go to the nearest payphone and leave an anonymous call to the police about a person most likely dead on one of the backstreets of Tokyo.

But his large eyes were drawn to the perfect face of the boy like two opposite ends of magnets. And the word 'boy' seemed to suit him better than 'man' or 'guy.' There was an air of perfection around him, even though he had to be about twenty or twenty-one. He seemed to scream the word 'innocent.' So, yes, in L's mind, the word 'boy' was more suitable for him. He had brunet hair that was short yet--L cut off the thought abruptly and left it at 'he had brunet hair.' There was no way he was going to think that another man was--L cut his thoughts off again and glared up at the rain. The stupid rain was messing up his thought process and by the gods--

This was getting him no where. L sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time thought it had only been the third--but it might as well have been the umpteenth since he _never _sighed. Even though he locked up criminals everyday, witnessed grown men break down in court after receiving the death penalty, witnessed the death penalty, and watched violent scenes like rape and murder; after L had seen the boy's face… he could no longer drag himself away to give that anonymous call to the police. L shook his head, making a face. He saw close to a hundred percent sure that this boy was _dead_. There was blood _everywhere_. Even if he _was_ alive, he wouldn't survive more than five minutes _unless he called the police_, and yet L found that he just couldn't move. 

L wondered just what had occurred. It looked like the poor boy had lost nearly ever pint of blood in his body. A knife stab perhaps? No, the wounds weren't cleanly cut… At least most of them. The large gash across his stomach could've been a knife wound… Maybe he had been thrown and fallen on something? No. He would have seriously broken something and besides some sprained--

L nearly jumped out of his skin when the boy suddenly and violently started shuddering. _The boy was alive_! L blinked once in mild surprise. How in the seven hells was this _possible_? The boy had _obviously_ lost at least fifty-five percent of his life blood and it was still draining out. 

The boy moaned in obvious agony--L didn't have x-ray vision, but there was a possibility that the boy also had internal injury, which could give more pain than a broken bone depending on what he had hurt. 

L sighed. He knew that the only way to save the poor boy was to get him to medical attention. He knew it would be quicker to run to a pay phone and call an ambulance, pretending to be an anonymous person, as was the original plan. 

So what possessed him to gently pick up the figure, he wasn't sure. But he did, and with the boy cradled in his arms, L continued on home.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Warmth. That was the first thing he felt. And after the great amount of pain he had felt before, the warmth wasn't necessarily as bad as it should have been. In fact, Light almost wanted to push up against the warmth even more. He even shifted his body slightly; rolling so he was pressed more firmly against--

Hold the phone. The source of the warmth was also pressed up against him and he felt a slightly sticky-with-sweat surface against his flesh. And that surface was _warm_. The surface was _alive._ And it just-so-happened-to-be a person. Light's eyes popped open almost immediately after this epiphany. He was greeted by the sight of two widely opened eyes staring right back at him. 

He jumped back away from shock. _What the hell? _Immediately, something that resembled a snarl developed over his face. He then tuned into what his body was telling him, closing his eyes to concentrate. Was he in pain? Hell, yes, though it wasn't as bad as--As bad as what? He couldn't quite remember. He shook his head and went back to his earlier thoughts. Nothing… _seemed _to be broken. That was good. He seemed to be in one piece even though--

Oh… damn shit ass fucking hell! Hoping it was his imagination and not reality, Light shifted his legs so that they ran over each other. He felt flesh running over flesh. Ah, no, it wasn't his imagination. But he had never thought he would ever be in this position. For, in fact:

1) Light was in nothing but his boxers

2) The person next to him was in nothing but his boxers

3) They were in a bed

4) They were lying smashed against each other

5) The person next to him just-so-happened to be a _male_

Light tried to convince himself that it was fine--they were both male, so what was the harm in this? Nothing. There was nothing wrong with this--nothing at all. But Light's pride often times had a way of overpowering his reasoning mind and the moment he opened his eyes again, only to be greeted once again by those wide, black eyes, a thoroughly pissed, what-the-fuck expression plastered itself to Light's face

"Who the hell are you?" he growled, eyes narrowing dangerously. 

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

L knew that the boy was likely to be pissed--irate, even--and confused that he was in someone else's bed almost nude. He knew that there might be screaming and yelling and even the accusation of "Pervert! I'm going to call the police and you'll be locked up for rape." Actually, he had even expected to be hit once or twice. He had expected all of this when the boy woke up--_if _the boy woke up.

What he had not expected as much was for the boy to open the his eyes--eyes of almost an amber shade--and blink at L before allowing them to drift close as he shifted under the blanket. A few seconds passed as he took everything in before his eyes snapped open again only to glare venomously at L. _That_ part was expected. He had counted on the younger man to be pissed, as stated earlier.

"Who the hell are you?" 

L blinked slowly. He was waiting for the boy to give further comments--"Where the hell am I?" "How did I get here?" "You pervert!" etc. etc--but found that after the one question, the boy remained quiet, waiting for an answer as he thoroughly scrutinized L.

Now _that_ was not what he expecting. Slowly, he replied, "Ryuuzaki." L waited several seconds as the other's brain furiously worked things out. 

"This is most definitely _not_ my room, so just where on this green planet am I?" The new question was said with less ferocity, though not too much to make a big difference.

"You're in my house, in my room," L replied smoothly.

The younger boy's eyes narrowed again as he examined L and L couldn't help but notice they had darkened to a deeper shade of brown--they almost looked like the rich brown of ground cinnamon. 

"May I be so bold as to ask you for your name?" L finally said, breaking the silence. The boy looked like he was going to sneer as he sat up, looking down at L with slight disgust.

"Just what makes you think I'm going to trust you with information like _that_?"

L shrugged, also sitting up, dragging his knees up against his chest. "I understand perfectly what's going through your head. You're wondering if I'm some sort of murderer or rapist, no? I can assure you that if I were either, you would be chained up and most likely dead by this point. I would be sloppy in my work; if I allowed you to wake up and create the chance of you escaping and turning me in I would be sloppy indeed." L brought a thumb up to his teeth. "I know that this will most likely not appease you, but it will make you wonder. And what's the harm in giving me your name? If I was the murderer or rapist you think I may be, wouldn't I already know your name?"

The other didn't miss as beat as L finished. "Unless you're _trying_ to seem innocent to get me comfortable so that it would be easier to dispose of me. Gonna kill me while my back is turned and I least expect it?"

L paused in nibbling his thumb to give the other an amused grin. "You are very intelligent, aren't you?" queried L.

Cinnamon eyes narrowed. "Are you saying it's the truth?"

L shook his head. "No, I am merely pointing out the facts. I have no ill-will for you and hold nothing against you… Besides the fact that you kneed me in the stomach while you slept."

"Care to tell me just why I happen to be in the same bed as you?"

L cocked his head. "I found you."

The younger boy blinked. "What?"

L wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his kneecaps. "I already told you--I found you. You seemed to require assistance, so I brought you to my home."

There was a pause as the other considered this. "I see…" he finally murmured and shook his head running one of his hands through his brunet locks.

"Now will you assist me with your name?" L inquired.

L could feel those cinnamon eyes scrutinize him again for a second before he looked away. "Raito; Yagami Raito."

"Hm. I see. And what, may I ask, did Yagami-san do to obtain such wounds?" L started nibbling on his thumb again.

Light snorted. "Well, isn't it obvious?"

L paused a second in his actions. "No."

Light gave him a glare before mumbling, looking away.

"I'm sorry, Yagami-san, while I do have quite adept hearing, I can not make out babble."

Light's face colored before he mumbled only a little louder. "Mm-nnmoo."

L gave him a slightly pointed look. "Excuse me? You're still not speaking clearly."

"I _said_, I… don't know," Light replied, tone starting loud before getting quieter by the syllable.

L cocked his head, thumb floating up to be placed between his teeth. "You don't know? How is that possible? Surely you would remember--?"

"Hell, you think _I_ enjoy this? I would rather not be in this current predicament, thank you very much. I didn't ask for this, I'll remind you!" Light's expression was almost that of a snarl. He apparently was not comfortable admitting he had a weakness, especially one like forgotten memories.

"I don't see how you could have lost something like your memories when you didn't hit your head…" L finally said skeptically.

Light gave him a look that said he was about ready to rip the goddamn thumb out of the detective's goddamn mouth and put it somewhere so that it would give him a lot of goddamn pain. "I'm _sure_ I would know if I remembered something. You think I take some sort of sick pleasure in this?"

L blinked. "I had never thought of it, assuming you were a more innocent boy, but now that you mention it…"

Light's brow ticked. "Dammit! Hell, no! It's called _sarcasm_, you idiot--"

"I understand that Yagami-san may be angry, but that doesn't mean Yagami-san can say whatever he pleases with no thought as to his words." L's expression was serious and his thumb had fallen from his mouth.

Light blinked at him before mumbling something that wasn't an apology nor another insult, but rather an excuse to his rash behavior.

There was a shift in the bed as L stood up and Light jumped in surprise. "Where are you going?"

The detective didn't even bother to turn around as he continued. "Yagami-san will be hungry after sleeping for nearly two days, no?"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light blinked twice at the figure's back as he turned and left his sight. 

_I've been asleep for almost two _days he absentmindedly thought to himself, shaking his head in mild disbelief. 

If he had been so long wouldn't his muscles be cramped? Wouldn't his stomach be shredding him apart from hunger? Wouldn't he be stiff from lack of motion? Wouldn't his eyes hurt like a little effing-mother from being deprived of light for so long? But most of all, wouldn't he--

His thoughts suddenly broke off as he nearly yelped at the sudden pressure in his bladder. Ah. The answer to his last interrupted thought had made itself known. He had to bite his lip as he rolled off the bed to land on his feet with a thump.

His eyes swam for a while as he gained his equilibrium before he took a hesitant step, acting like with the smallest breeze and he would topple over--which might just be as close to the truth as possible. He could hear a groan from with his tendons and muscles as his body protested his movement. So he was a little stiff… he just hadn't been able to tell from the bed. As well as that, his ankle throbbed slightly under hid weight and his knee seared.

Deciding it would be wise to stretch his muscles as he was weary of his injuries once he had relieved his bladder, Light hurried as fast as was possible to the restroom.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_...Three. No, four. Goddamn… I say at least nine._

Brunet brows furrowed as Light desperately fought to remember. After a few seconds, Light shook his head. It was no use… No matter how much he wrestled with his mind, he just couldn't remember a _thing_ about that night. Two nights ago… That was what that Ryuuzaki character had said, right?

Light shook his head again. It didn't matter; what mattered was that he couldn't remember what happened that night and that he was going to _make_ his brain remember whether it liked it or not. He was a genius; it should be a piece of cake for Light to figure out this little mystery. Judging from his wounds, he assumed he had been in some sort of fight. His most logical explanation was that a gang had jumped him randomly for some pocket change, or he had picked a bone with the wrong people--the latter being the most likely since light seemed to have a habit of opening his mouth before he had a chance to pre-think what he was going to say in the heat of a moment. So some gang had jumped him, beaten him, and left him for dead…

That sounded… logical, right? There was no other explanation to it. That had to be it. The only thing now to figure out was why they had picked him--though he pretty much figured it was because of his earlier hypothesis at picking a bone with someone--who it had been, and how many there had been.

This brought his previous thoughts back into his head with a snort. _There's no way in Hell there were only three of four. Nine sounds plausible…_ Light squinted a second as he thought about it. _On second thought, there had to have been more like twenty._

Nodding in satisfaction at his own cockiness, Light moved on to the next puzzle. Who had he royally pissed off? Light squinted up at the ceiling, leaning back on the bed as he thought about it. Just how much of that had he remembered? He closed his eyes and let his mind drift.

He had woken up promptly at 7:56 a.m. He had gotten ready for his day, taking a shower, getting dressed, etc. Skipping breakfast, he had turned on his laptop and had spent hours on it, jotting things down in something. Light's squinted eyes narrowed even more as he fought to remember what he had been writing and why he couldn't remember what he had been writing in. After several long infuriating minutes of coming up with nada, he gave an exasperated sigh and let his mind continue through his day. After he had finished whatever he had been doing, he had flicked on his T.V. and watched the news for a while. Time had passed before the phone had rung. Light had answered, not bothering to check the caller I.D. but somehow knowing it would be… And Light's mind came to a blank again. 

_Who the Hell had called me_? 

Whoever it had been, he had left his house to meet them… He had no recollection of the rendezvous with them, but he had left late… really late. He had wanted to do something… He wanted to… Blank.

Light's hand flew up to his head to grab a hold of the brunet, messy tresses and he tugged at them with his frustration. Why couldn't he remember _anything_? He had a feeling that it was after he had… done whatever it is he had wanted to do that he had been hurt… or beaten… or whatever.

He gave a growl of frustration before flopping over backward on the mattress. He slowly breathed in, trying to sooth his rattled nerves before letting it out. He would let his mind relax and come back to the topic later. If he let his mind wander before coming back again to re-examine his memories, maybe he'd be able to remember more…

A sudden knock at the door jerked him from his reverie. He jumped into a sitting position and blinked as the door slowly began to open.

Was it Ryuuzaki coming back?

"Excuse me, good sir," came a gentle, elderly-like voice. An older man stepped in, covered tray balanced delicately on his fingertips. "I've come to give you some food, as was required." The man placed the tray down on a nearby nightstand.

Light blinked at him as he started retreating. As the man opened the door, Light blurted, "Who are you?"

The man stopped, hesitating, before he looked over his shoulder to answer. "You may call me Watari, I suppose," the old man said. He seemed to give away this information reluctantly.

"Who--Why did you…?" Not finishing his question, Light waved in the direction of the tray.

Watari's eyebrows arched as though he had never heard such a stupid thing before in his entire life. "Hmm," he hummed, his tone suggesting he was about to talk to an incompetent toddler. "Master Ryuuzaki told me to prepare you that, obviously. You're wounds are very serious. I'm surprised you lived, to be quite honest."

Light gave a slight nod before hesitating, not sure if he should ask the next question or not. Finally, he decided he wanted to know. "Who brought me here?"

Watari gave him an incredulous look. "Master Ryuuzaki, obviously. If it had been I, I would have been extremely careful and left you there. Though I'm surprised that--" The man let off suddenly, like he didn't want to say what he was thinking but had blurted it before he could stop himself. 

There was a pause. When he saw that the old man was not going to finish the thought or enlighten him further on that topic, Light moved to another. "Why?" he asked finally.

Watari gave him a dry look. "When I myself know that answer I will be sure to inform you, Raito Yagami."

Light didn't miss the lack of any endearment--there wasn't even a 'Mr.' attached to the name.

Deciding to take advantage of the new source of information, Light leaned forward and asked another question. "Who exactly tended to me?"

Watari gave him a smoldering look. "I did."

The youth paused as he absorbed this information. That old geezer took care of him? Did the old man even know what he had been doing? "You?" he finally echoed dubiously.

Watari grew indignant. "Is there anything wrong with that information, Yagami?"

Light immediately shook his head mutely.

"Oh, good. For a second I thought that you had gone into shock. Yes, I tended to your wounds, on Master Ryuuzaki's orders. Though at this point, I'm starting to seriously think that Master Ryuuzaki was not in his right mind when he saved you," the man grumbled.

" 'Saved me?' " Light echoed, amused. "Is that what you think took place?" Even in his wounded state, Light the Magnificent was cocky as ever.

Watari was not amused. His expression grew thunderous as he turned to face Light completely. "That is _exactly _took place, Yagami. If Master Ryuuzaki had left you there, you'd be dead right now. So if you call yourself a man, you should at least thank Master Ryuuzaki. He was considerate enough to take care of you and keep you from dying. I'll have you know that he didn't move once from your side the entire time you were out."

Light did a double take at that, blinking repeatedly. "Wha--? Why?" he uttered, dumfounded.

The old man's patience wore thin. "Because in the state that you were in, it was possible for you to freeze to death with how much blood you had lost. Master Ryuuzaki made sure this did not happen by not only piling on as many blankets as possible, but also making sure you had someone else's body warmth, seeing as that was the best solution. If you don't even have the heart to feel grateful for what he did for you--"

Light interrupted suddenly. "I am grateful, okay? I'm sorry to have interrogated you. Please continue on with your day."

Instead of felling pleased that Light was grateful, he bristled slightly. "The only one I take orders from is Master Ryuuzaki," he said testily before leaving, shutting the door a little louder than necessary, the only physical sign of his irritation.

Light stared at the door for several seconds after Watari's departure before sighing. _This place is a little messed up…_

It was then that something caught his eye. He wouldn't have even seen it if he hadn't been looking around for something to do. But, alas, to his great fortune, it had indeed been spotted. It was a simple, small camera. It was built into the wall right inside the air vent. The camera, though small as it was, could rotate on its own and looked pretty high-tech, meaning it could zoom in and most likely had sound.

Light couldn't stop the narrowing of his eyes as he stared at it. Did Ryuuzaki really distrust him that much that he had to be monitored at all times? The youth almost snorted at the irony. Here he was, wounded, in a total stranger's house--and this stranger could _possibly_, though not all too likely,be a murderer or rapist--and he, the victim, is not trusted. Light almost laughed aloud at that. Almost.

Hesitantly, he took the lid off the tray only to find a very delicious looking dinner. There was chicken friend rice, rice balls, rice, all sorts of friend meats, and even some sweets. He hesitated a second as he thought about the chances of the old man poisoning him. It was very likely, he had to admit, but since he had done this under Ryuuzaki's orders, his suspicions shrunk and when his stomach cried out loudly, he completely ignored the thought of poisoning and inhaled the meal; all but the sweets.

Light never much liked sweets.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light was pacing from one end of the room--limping ever-so-slightly--to the other when L finally decided to make another appearance about an hour after Light had eaten. One bent finger pressed up to his lips, brows knitted together in thought, Light truly looked like he was thoroughly puzzling something out.

L stepped into the room completely, and immediately brought his thumb up to his mouth, "Why is Yagami-san out of bed?" he questioned innocently.

Light's actions immediately stopped as his gaze flicked over to the spindly figure. His brows knitted again as he stared. "It just doesn't make sense," he finally said, ironically not making any sense whatsoever to the detective.

L decided to make that fact known. "What doesn't, Yagami-san?"

Light was almost glaring as he fought internally, amber-ish orbs blazing at the struggle. "I just _can't_ remember what the hell happened to me that I--" he suddenly broke off when he felt woozy. Light's vision blacked for a second as he fell--somehow managing to do so gracefully--to the floor, barely able to take in his breath. His head spun as he came into contact with the ground. He could clearly hear his pulse as his vision slowly returned, the sudden darkness falling away like shedding scales on a reptile.

L was nibbling on his thumb as he slowly made his way over so he could stand in front of the younger boy. "I asked Yagami-san why he was out of bed. It is _very_ unwise to be standing so soon after losing so much blood. Moving around is especially bad for your current health, Yagami-san. I suggest that you return to the bed to rest for the day." L paused as he cocked his head. "There is about a fifty-four percent possibility that Yagami-san will be good enough tomorrow to be up… for a small amount of time, that is."

Light's eyes narrowed as he very slowly stood and gained his equilibrium, breathing deeply and evenly so that his brain was supplied with supple amount of oxygen--he wasn't quite in the mood to meet Mr. Floor again today or in the near future. "I know the consequences of my actions; I'm not an _idiot_," Light snapped irritably as he slowly walked to the bed. "And what do you mean, a _fifty-four_ percent chance of me getting up tomorrow? Of _course_ I'll--" Light didn't get to finish the sentence. He had not taken another breath once while talking and had suddenly gotten light-headed, collapsing on the bed as not to have a reunion with the carpeted floor.

"Make that thirty-four percent," L corrected. 

"Go to Hell," Light muttered softly, just so L could hear it.

"Ah, sorry. I have no current reservations there. While this may distress Yagami-san, I have to admit that I also have no plans on ever making reservations. I heard that once there, it's quite impossible to leave. Perhaps the service is quite incredible…?"

Light lifted his head to give L a look. "Shut the hell up," Light demanded.

"_That_ I could do."

"Then do so," Light grumpily ordered, not all too pleased with his intensifying headache.

"I have no intention of it."

Light wouldn't have minded shucking something at L's head.

"I have a headache," Light complained simply.

"Ah, that I have every intention of fixing." And with that said, L departed without another word or an explanation of any kind.

Light mumbled something before sighing and relaxing against the bed. His face was gently brushing one of the pillows and Light's nose was filled with the smell of it. Not that that was bad, necessarily. The pillow smelled like… Well, like L. Light nearly rolled his eyes behind his closed lids.

_No shit, Sherlock._

But all sarcasm cast aside, Light really, really, _really_ liked the way the pillow smelled. The perfect blend of masculinity, sweetness--like sugar, but not an overly sweet sugary smell, since Light didn't like sugar all too much--and a unique scent altogether. Combined, it was quite--

_God damn it…_ Light subconsciously inched closer to the afore-mentioned item that Light now cursed with every fiber of his being. It was a god damn pillow. Light was _not_ to be getting addicted to a damn _pillow_ for pride's sake!

Light blinked. _Addicted?_ He almost snorted._ Alright, now you're over-reacting, Raito. I just like the shampoo the damn guy uses. I'll have to ask where he got it._

As Light turned over, he once again inched a little closer to the pillow, nearly shoving his nose into it.

_Damn it!_

He jumped up and glowered down at the evil mass of molecules, cotton, filling, and fluff that seemed to mock him.

"Hm… Does Yagami-san make a habit of staring at beds?" L's voice suddenly asked. 

Light managed to keep from jumping in surprise and slowly turned to face L. "Not usually," he replied. _Just _your_ frickin' bed with frickin' annoying fricken' good smelling--_

L's head tilted slightly and L took the time to actually examine the detective's face, something Light had for some reason deemed unimportant and had put on his to-do list after waking up half naked next to him. The spindly man was thin, unnaturally so… un_healthily_ so. There were dark, black scars that marred his flesh right below his eyes--the mark of an insomniac. The man's hair was a quite pathetic excuse, to be honest. Unruly raven locks poked out from every direction, seeming to defy gravity at some points. It almost looked as though he had never in his life. Other than that, he was mostly nondescript.

Except his attire. 

Before leaving first thing after Raito had woken, L had shoved on some baggy, plain blue jeans and a loose-fitting white sweater. It was quite… unbecoming in Light's mind. Had L put something a little more flattering on, he just might've looked attractive on normal standards. But that just seemed to define L.

"Would Yagami-san mind explaining why he is once again out of bed? I would have thought that his earlier repercussions would have--"

Light interrupted him with a snort. "Can I do something because I feel like it or must there be a reason behind everything?"

L blinked at him. "Very well then; when you fall because you don't have enough strength or blood going to your brain, please do not blame me."

Light glared at him before turning his gaze back to the bed to glower at the pillows. He sighed before slowly rolling onto the bed, head placed at the foot of the bed as to avoid the pillows. "Happy?" he demanded.

"Very actually," L replied before holding out what he had been holding. Light blinked. 

"Oh, thanks," he mumbled in response, reaching over to take the pill and cup of cool liquid from L. He popped the pill and downed it with a swig from his drink. His wrapped arm protested the movement, however, and he winced.

"I have to go now. I'll be back later. And please refrain yourself from moving from that bed. I would really hate to come back to find a dead body on the floor. I wasn't even expecting you to wake up for another day or two."

Light blinked at that. "What? Why?"

The detective gave him a completely blank look. "It looked like you were going to die there for a while. It's a miracle in itself that you lived. Another that you took merely two days to wake up."

And with nothing more to say, and not wanting to have any further chats with the youth, L left with no further word.

Light closed his eyes and relaxed, deciding to momentarily forget the aggravating character. It was only minutes before he was fast asleep.

It was hours later, at about six-thirty p.m., that he woke up with a mental string of curses.

_Oh, damn shit ass fuck no!_

He woke up with his face buried in L's pillow--despite the fact that he had fallen asleep at the other and of the bed--nose deep in the folds of the silky pillow case.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

…**Um? First **_**ever**_** DN Fic. Please, please, please, **_**please**_** review. You can just drop off a simple "good fic" (though I don't all-too-much like those type of reviews but I'm desperate for **_**anything**_** right now) and that's all for all I care. Or even a "hate it, go to Hell." I just need to know what the heck you **_**think**_**! …Please? I'll love you FOREVER! **

**So… um… Is it worth me continuing…?**

**-Sayo-**


	2. Boredom

Hmmm… I wonder how long it'll take for me to write another chapter…? Not too long, I hope… I quite like the ideas rolling in my head and hope that I am able to finish this quickly… -cough- Though, knowing me, I _highly_ doubt this'll be done before the year 2009. -.-

**Disclaimer**: …-sigh- It there any point behind even writing this? I assure you that if I owned death Note, L would take a permanent vacation away from working. He would also take up a new residence. With whom, you ask? …Isn't it obvious? Me, of course:D (Sorry, Light, but we can share, ne?)

"_On this bed I lay, losing everything  
I can see my life passing me by  
Was it all too much?  
Or just not enough?  
Wake me up--I'm living a nightmare"_

_--"In My Time of Dying," Three Days Grace_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_Chapter Two: Boredom_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light rolled over onto his stomach and winced before quickly flipping over again. That had most definitely not helped his wounds whatsoever. His fingers gently traced the bandages that covered part of his torso lightly. Small sparks of hot pain flooded the area, triggered by his touch. 

But, for some strange reason, the pain seemed to make his brain work as he had hoped. The first thing that came to him was his encounters with Ryuuzaki. He couldn't help but feel a smidgen guilty about how he had talked to Ryuuzaki. At the time, he had thought nothing of it and had almost enjoyed snapping at the other man. Now, however, he couldn't help but wonder if it had actually been him speaking. 

Light sighed softly. His predicament was not one he enjoyed being in, but he also doubted that Ryuuzaki was enjoying this, as well. And that brought another question to mind. 

Just why had Ryuuzaki brought Light to his home?

Light was sure that it would have been a lot easier and quicker to leave a strange, beaten, bleeding boy in the care of a hospital than lug him home. It would have been a _lot _less work on Ryuuzaki's part, in fact, because now not only did Ryuuzaki have to care for Light, he also had to feed and clothe him--

Ah, yes. Speaking of _clothes_, just why hadn't anyone bothered to bring any for him to change into yet? Light was _still_ walking around in nothing but his boxers. A shower would also be nice at this point, too. His eyes flicked over to the clock and he saw that it was just a few minutes before 7 p.m. He had been awake for nearly a half an hour…

There was a rap at the door before it opened and Watari came in. The man's eyes flicked to the bed but otherwise said nothing on its current state. Light was a little grateful that Watari didn't find the need to inquire as to the rooms condition. "I have brought you some dinner. Also, I bought you some clothes to wear."

Light blinked in surprise, quickly jerking upright--and winced when a small fire erupted under the bandages on his stomach. "You… bought me clothes?" he echoed, ignoring the persistent pain.

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Yeah, but…" But for some reason he felt a little guilty that Watari had to go _out_ and buy it… "Wasn't there anything already here that I could've worn?"

Watari paused to give him a calculating look before he gave a long suffering sigh. "No," he admitted finally. "Ryuuzaki is too thin for his own good, and while he prefers to wear things that are baggy, you would've found yourself in for a tight squeeze had you worn anything of his. And I highly doubt you would've liked to wear anything of mine."

Light examined the suit that the elderly man was sporting and mentally agreed.

Watari placed the outfit and silver tray that bore his dinner on a stand that was near the bed before giving a small bow and turning to leave. 

Light's cinnamon-brown eyes flicked over to the silver tray before then sliding to the black pants and matching shirt. He couldn't help but momentarily wonder why they were black before shoving the thought away, deeming it stupid and unimportant. There was something else at hand that was more important…

"Wait," Light called.

Watari stopped, one hand resting on the doorway, and looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I think I owe you an apology… It wasn't polite of me to snap at you like that. I… suppose I should be grateful to you for doing all this for me…" While a part of him shuddered and felt disgusted at having to actually _apologize_, a larger part of him felt that he owed the man that much, seeing as he was keeping Light alive currently. Also, he did have a genuine teensy, tic-tac sized feeling of both guilt and appreciation, even if he was doing his best to ignore that fact.

The man remainedunmoved for several seconds before giving a nod. "I also owe you an apology," he admitted. "I suppose that my brash behavior was a surprise to you. That may also be part of the reason behind your curt response to me. But I will tell you this, and please take no offense: It was a mistake bringing you here. It's dangerous for both Ryuuzaki and I… and maybe even you could be in danger now. Though I hate to admit it… I think Ryuuzaki acted on impulse instead common sense for once in his life… and I just hope we don't all regret it."

Well that wasn't something Light had expected him to say. "How so?"

Watari shook his head. "I've already said a little more than I should have. If you want to know anything else, you'll have to see if Ryuuzaki will tell you."

The older man was once again about to leave when Light called out again. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"Is there… any way I can take a shower?" Light's cheeks warmed ever-so-slightly at having to ask for something so stupid.

The man looked at him, presumably to see if Light was being serious or not. "Are you unable to bathe yourself?"

That earned a blink out of the younger boy. "What?" was his ever-so-intelligent reply.

"There is a bathroom attached to this room because it's the master bedroom. Surely you have seen it?" His tone wasn't curt or rude, but it was a little amused. 

"Yeah." Light knew it was there, but he had not seen--

"There is a shower in there."

And despite the fact that he knew he'd look stupid for saying it, he did it anyway. "There is?"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light was sitting cross-legged on the bed, toweling his hair into a semi-dry state, now fully clothed, fed, and showered to perfection, when he realized that he was most likely going to be staying here at Ryuuzaki's for a few more days. He wasn't sure how this sudden epiphany was born, but he knew he didn't like it all too much. The other man seemed… weird, for lack of another word. While Light hadn't seen any obvious displays that told him this, he just had this feeling that Ryuuzaki wasn't normal.

That and the fact that Light felt a little… different--for lack of a better word--when around him.

Deciding he no longer wanted to be having these thoughts, he eased himself onto his back and relaxed against the mattress.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The door made a sound as it opened and Light opened his eyes only to realize that he had dozed off. Well, _dozed_ was putting it lightly, since Light saw that the alarm nearby bleared 3:56 in the darkness.

He squinted into the dimly lit room to see who it was that was making a late-night visit.

Maybe it was that darn--Light blinked suddenly when an image of a tall, dark silhouette flashed through his mind. Whoever it was had long arms that went almost down to their knees. The figure was slightly hunched, but that didn't take away from its overall height…

"_Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk. You really _are_ a genius, aren't you? Humans really are fun to watch! Hyuk, hyuk! Such interesting creatures._"

"Yagami-san?"

And his mind sharply returned to the present. The image shattered in his mind and no matter how he desperately tried to find the pieces and arrange them, he couldn't force it back. Finally, he gave up and replied, "Yes, Ryuuzaki? You do realize what time it is, cor--" Light's sentence was cut off as the light switch was flipped on, illuminating the room. His eyes slammed shut and immediately hoped that his hint would be taken seriously and the light turned back off. Ryuuzaki did noting of the sort, however, and Light was forced to slowly adjust his burning corneas.

"Of course I am aware of what time it is," came the slow reply. 

Light narrowed his eyes now that it didn't feel like some sharp creature was trying to rip into them and saw that Ryuuzaki's dark orbs were slowly roaming through the room before stopping on Ratio. 

Like Watari, Ryuuzaki was not likely to keep his trap shut about the room since it was _his_ room. But, like usual, Light had prepared an excuse and patiently waited for the man to speak.

Three, two, one and--

"And would Yagami-san like to enlighten me as to why the pillows are all crammed under the bed and beneath the dresser?"

--Bingo.

"I am afraid that these pillows are polyester." That was all he said. He wanted to see Ryuuzaki's reaction before proceeding.

Much to his displeasure, the man remained unmoved and Light had absolutely no hint as to what was running through the other's head. So he continued, praying that Ryuuzaki wasn't as smart as Light was starting to think he was…

"Polyester makes me highly uncomfortable. I do not like that type of pillows. As I was resting, they continually got in my way. So, of course, I decided to rid myself of the problem completely."

There was a two second pause before Ryuuzaki replied, "So Yagami-san decided to shove them under the bed and dresser?"

Damn. Ryuuzaki wasn't taking it… That was _not_ good. Light hated looking like a fool.

"Yes. I wanted them off the bed… and rather than just haphazardly throw them onto the floor to be even more of a problem…"

"Yagami-san decided to shove them out of sight?"

"I did not '_shove_' them anywhere. I merely placed them where I thought they would be neatly tucked away and easy to access."

"But of course." His tone was impassive, leaving Light wondering what the older man was thinking. It was impossible to tell whether or not the man believed him or not. "But I did not come here to chat with you. Yagami-san should still be asleep."

"First off, I've been sleeping all day off an on and I now feel restored and thus there is no way I'll be able to fall sleep again anytime soon. Second, you do realize you are making yourself out to be a hypocrite by telling me this? Are you just now coming to bed?"

Ryuuzaki blinked slowly. "No. I am here to get clean clothes. Then I will be leaving."

"Ah, so then you just woke up?"

"I didn't say that."

"So… you're a full-time insomniac, then?"

Ryuuzaki did not answer, but instead made his way over to his dresser, pulled a drawer open, and pulled from within a clean plain white shirt and baggy blue jeans. Exactly what he currently wore, only clean, neat, tidy, and semi-folded. Light, for some reason, wasn't entirely surprised.

After he had shut the drawer and turned to face Light, Ryuuzaki said, "I actually did some light research into you. Yagami Raito; twenty years old; currently attending Tokyo University with superb top marks; has one younger sister, Yagami Sayu; an in-home mother, a father who is the head of the police department in Tokyo."

"See, this is information I already know so it is of no help to we in any way--"

"That the basics, Yagami-san. There is more I could tell you, but as you just said, you already know it all."

Everything was like a puzzle in a way. Light just so happened to be a master at putting puzzles together. He also was a master at figuring things out and looking a little deeper than most people do to find an answer.

And this puzzle was simple: Ryuuzaki was testing Light; he was testing to see just how smart Light really was.

Light nearly had the urge to smirk. "It seems that you know your way around a computer. I take it that that's not all you know about me?"

A hint of a smile ghosted across ghastly pale lips. "Of course not; that was merely the basics of the basics."

From that reply, Light could tell he had passed Ryuuzaki's test.

"Anyway, how long am I going to be here?"

Obsidian eyes locked onto his light brown and slowly blinked. "Yagami-san had better rest some more. The sun has yet to rise. Your body's hormones still resemble that of a teenager, and teenagers like to sleep, no?"

Light was going to protest that if he got any more sleep, he'd also most likely turn to insomnia when the older man turned and left, silently closing the door behind him. There was a three second pause before the door opened again and Ryuuzaki's head peeped in. "Also, next time I see my room in person, I expect the pillows to be where they originally were and belong." With that, the head disappeared. 

Light scowled in response before his mind started doing what it always did--scrutinize any new information it had been given.

Ryuuzaki was a genius. 

He had amazing computer skills.

He was impossible to read or even predict.

He seemed like someone who could keep a huge-ass secret and not even let on. 

In fact, Light wouldn't put it passed the man if he was part of the mafia and was plotting the end of a country… like Russia, maybe. But Russia was a nice country in Light's mind. It had advanced nuclear power for its struggling economy. If there was any country that Ryuuzaki had to take out it would have to be--

Light blinked and abruptly the thought was cut down and killed immediately. To be honest, absurd thought-tangents filled his mind several times a day; but only when he was bored.

And gods, how Light could get _bored_. 

And Light just-so-happened to do some things he might regret later when he was bored.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Only once before had L regretted a decision he made, and that was a long, long time ago, so it didn't count in his mind. He was always able to work a disadvantageous situation into his favor, no matter the odds, and that was something he secretly took pride in.

So he _would_ find a safe way out of his whole "Raito Yagami" rut. 

Maybe brining the boy into his home hadn't exactly been… the _smartest_ thing for him to do, but what was done was done and even he, L, couldn't do anything about that. But he _could_ weave a way out of this situation without risking anything.

He just had to think it out.

And that was exactly what he had been doing since he had left the bedroom early that morning after coming into what had to be the messiest room in the house--his study--and taking his place at his desk. He still had work to do, no matter his situation. What he had come up with was this: If he made sure Raito Yagami stayed in the bedroom during his stay, not seeing any part of the house besides that room and the bathroom, then when he was better and fit to leave, Watari could force chloroform on Yagami-san and drive him to his house. Once there, Watari could wait for Yagami-san to wake up before helping him inside.

Yes, it sounded a little animalistic if you were a kind spirit, but it was the best way to handle the problem. Yagami-san was a genius, and if he was conscious while being driven home, even if blinded, he could listen to the car and figure out how to return. All it took was concentration to hear when a car slowed down, turned, or whatnot. And L wouldn't put it passed the boy to do something of the sort.

And while the Yagami boy didn't know that he was L, the detective working on the Kira case, L had a tendency to act paranoid and took every precaution possible. 

It came with the job.

L was a hundred percent positive it would work; all he had to do was make sure the Yagami boy never left his room. Giving a half-nod in affirmation, L moved on to his next problem:

Kira.

That low-down, self-proclaimed god had--for lack of a better word--_vanished_; vamoose. The last Kira killing had taken place almost five days ago. Not one since.

Strange?

Very.

That was why L was starting to wonder if Kira himself had been killed or hurt in some fashion. Either that, or he was scheming something and planning his next attack very carefully. L wouldn't put it passed the bastard, but… _Five_ days? Kira killed over a hundred people a day and every second wasted was precious to the "god," so to wait this long was a little out of character… 

Which made L wonder if maybe Kira _had_ been injured…

"You sure don't like to keep things tidy, do you?"

L slowly blinked before his gaze flicked over to the top right corner of his laptop that he had placed beside him as he browsed through volumes of information. In the corner was a screen that showed the bedroom, accessible from every angle.

Currently the room was empty.

…He had locked that door…

"I admit I do not, Yagami-san," he replied in an apathetic voice before finishing the paragraph, marking his page, and taking his time to turn to face the boy. 

…And he had made sure to leave nothing in the room that could be used to pick locks…

Light's nose wrinkled as he looked around with a hint of distaste etched across his features. "Your room was clean… though I suppose Watari is the one who made sure of that?"

L did not reply to that for while the statement was intended to be a question, he could tell Light already knew the answer.

"Would Yagami-san like to enlighten me as to why he has left his room?"

Light looked around for a second before nodding to himself and focusing his attention on L. "I suppose it's no surprising, really."

L carefully studied the boy. It was obvious that he wasn't answering L's earlier asked question. "What's surprising?"

Light met his gaze and smirked. "That you're a detective."

Oh? So Light figured it out?

Light continued, "From the way you presented yourself earlier, I could tell that you weren't a person with an average IQ. A little digging in your room gave me more clues. I found an old graph notebook in a locked drawer. While it didn't have your name in it, it was pretty obvious it was your's. I found some problems that, to a normal human would seem… _difficult_. Also, there were a few books lying around that were all either classics, poetry, and I even saw some psychological reads, too. Many who take up a career that revolves around criminals and police favor these types of reads to others. While this may be taken as normal every-day things, who places security cameras in their room? Not even the most paranoid of people would take such an extreme seeing as how it would cost a pretty penny to set everything up. However, a detective may find use of setting up cameras in every room. After all, they have to be careful that any and all angry avengers that come seeking retribution are stopped."

L blinked before tilting his head slightly. "While that makes sense, you don't have enough to back that theory up."

Light's brow rose. "As it turns out, many people who have genius minds tends to be sloppy in their home or work space. Observe." Light gestured around the room. 

"However you deduce the situation, if you were to bring this as a case before court and a judge, they would want more than that as proof to fall back on. These are merely coincidences. Has that thought ever occurred to you?"

Light nodded easily. "I thought it possible that it was merely a coincidence, but that doubt was erased when I came in here."

L gave him a look that meant for him to continue.

"There seems to be a file on your desk and your computer screen had some hard-to-find files on top-notch criminals that are at large. Some of those files you were looking at were top-secret; which means you either hacked into the FBI's computer system or they gave you permission to go into their system. I highly doubt you'd hack for something like files on criminals, judging from what I've seen of you so far. So that leaves just one factor: you're a detective digging into a criminal's record for reference."

There was a long pause before a small smile ghosted L's lips. "That is very clever of you to deduct, Yagami-san. Yes, I am a struggling detective." L found it quite amusing that Light had a cocky, confident smirk in place and reeked of pride. The moment L had confirmed Light's suspicion, that smirk grew even larger. "You find something amusing?"

"A _struggling_ detective?" Light echoed. His tone told L that he wasn't fooled in the slightest by the statement.

Hm. Maybe Light was a little _too_ sharp. 

"For some reason I highly doubt that," he continued. "Had you been a _struggling_ detective, as you claim, there is a slim chance that any agency would allow you to view their files since they wouldn't want someone with a low status who isn't worthy of trust to view private files such as the ones you were perusing."

Ah, yes, Light Yagami was way too smart for anyone's good. It looked like L was going to have to be extra careful around him--not that L ever acted care_lessly_. 

Not wanting to directly give Light an answer, L did what he did best. He changed the topic. "Yagami-san seems very cunning. How did you get out of my room?"

Light crossed his arms slightly and leaned back against the wall--maybe he thought he looked cool when he took that pose?

"I wasn't aware that I was a criminal."

"You're not."

"Then why did you lock the door?"

L gave a slight shrug. "Yagami-san is bright--tell me why you think I did that."

Light sighed. "Obviously you can not have anyone exploring your home, browsing through personal belongings that could allow someone to find your weakness or exploiting who you are. Also, you can't have someone you don't know or trust able to catch you when you're off guard and hurt or kill you. It would make sense that you lock the door."

L blinked slowly before tilting his head in response. "Why did you bother to ask if you already knew the answer?"

Light gave a slightly annoyed grunt. "You… rescued me so then why be so cautious around me, too? What can I do to you to hurt you? There are no weapons of any kind in the bedroom and I don't think I could easily get my hands on anything that could be harmful."

"I always take pre-cautions. It comes with the job."

Light rolled his eyes slightly. "Of course."

"But you still haven't answered my earlier question."

"Ah, yes. I used some magnets I that I took out of your radio."

"Yagami-san has some strange ways to escape," L commented.

"Well, I was bored."

That gave the oh-so-magnificent detective pause. "…Yagami-san broke apart my radio and extracted the magnets inside of it and broke out of his room because he was bored?"

Light mentally huffed. "I get a little… eccentric when I'm bored."

L sighed before standing up. "I'll escort you back to your room."

The younger boy blinked once in surprise. "What? I don't get dinner or anything now that I'm out?" He had to tell himself that he was _not_ whining, he was merely reminding the detective that there was such a thing as common courtesy as he followed the man.

L gave him a blank look. "Watari is due with your meal in a little while."

"…Of course." Light made sure his tone was as nonchalant and indifferent as the older man's was. 

"Yagami-san?" L stopped at his open bedroom door and stared at it.

"Yeah?"

"…Now where did my pillows go to?"

"They're in the closet," the brunet answered as he sat down on the edge of the bed. 

"Would Yagami-san like to enlighten me as to why they are in there instead of on the bed?"

Light frowned. "You said you didn't like them being placed on the ground so I decided to _neatly _stack them on a shelf in the closet."

L's dark eyes wandered over to the closet door before going back to the boy. "I'm sure I told you I wanted them to be put back where they belonged."

Light shrugged. "In my mind, they belong in the closet, on that shelf. Isn't this all a matter of opinion?"

L stared at Light blankly for a few more seconds before turning. "I have work to do. Please stay in here this time and be sure to rest." As he passed his hand-held radio, he picked it up and slipped it into his pocket--the one that the boy had picked for his means of escape.

Light scowled, a small wrinkle forming on his forehead. "You know, I wouldn't have 'broken out' if I had something to do."

L paused. "What are you implying?"

The brunet blew a stray lock of hair off his forehead. "Isn't there anything you could let me borrow so I could keep busy?"

The detective looked over his shoulder at Light. There was a pause before, "I'll be sure to find something as long as you promise that you won't try to break out again."

Light leaned back on his hands. "Sure, sure. Just make sure you get me something that's actually _interesting_ and not stupid or pointless, like a game console."

"I would never give you something like that, Yagami-san."

Light scowled deeper in response. "Good."

**_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_**

Light was just starting to wonder if Watari was, indeed, going to come like Ryuuzaki had said when there was a knock and the door opened. 

"Mr. Yagami," the butler greeted as he came in and placed the tray he held on the stand by the bed. He then turned to face the young man. "I heard you had a little escapade earlier."

Light didn't respond to that. "Is that for me?" he asked instead, gesturing to the closed laptop that was placed neatly under Watari's left arm. 

"Oh, yes," the butler replied, taking it from under said appendage and holding it out. "Ryuuzaki gave it to me to let you use for a while."

Light accepted the hand-held computer and opened it, pressing the power button. He watched as the screen came to life with hungry eyes. It felt great to come into contact with the electronic device. 

"But let me tell you this, Yagami-san. That computer is under watch twenty-four hours of the day. This, of course, is merely a precaution. That means that what you are doing is monitored closely, so don't be doing anything that would get you in trouble and the laptop taken away. Understand?" 

Light didn't respond as his brown eyes scanned the screen before he clicked on something- the icon that acted as a shortcut to the Internet. It had to have been set on automatic, for Light didn't have to ask for a username or password or anything like that. 

"Yagami-san?" Watari broke into his thoughts, his voice a little sharp.

His eyes flicked up before he finally gave an answer. "Yeah. I got it." His attention immediately went back to the screen.

The butler remained standing there, staring at the boy, for a few moments before he sighed. "I'll leave you be then."

"Mm," Light hummed in response, lifting his hand in a half-hearted wave as his other hand typed in words at a swift rate. 

Only a few minutes passed before Light stopped his assault on the keyboard to open the drawers in the stand that his dinner was lying on. He scanned the contents for a pen and paper but settled for a pencil and notepad.

Once he had what he wanted, he scrolled down the web page and scribbled a few things in the notebook. He stopped and blinked down at the paper before looking back up at the screen and sighing before writing one final thing down and circling it. He then clicked on something else before starting the whole process all over again, though he hadn't taken as long this time. 

He rubbed his neck as clicked again before remembering he had his dinner.

_This is too easy_, he told himself as he munched on some chicken.

**_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_**

Dusk had come quickly. Hours flew by, leaving Light in the dark, the bright screen from the laptop acting as the only illumination in the dim room. He was still at work like he was earlier, scribbling random notes on the paper before writing one last thing and circling it. 

It was nearing four in the morning when he sighed and let his hands falling to his sides.

All he had done since he received the device was skim through those _Unsolved Mysteries _web sites, picking through the story before scribbling down random fact and clues. It took about four to eight minutes for him to figure out who the culprit was--if there was one, one or two looked to be suicide cases that were merely set up to look like murder--before he moved on to the next. He was yet to find a case that was a challenge and he had to admit that this was getting boring. 

How troublesome. 

He had been searching through some of the local News's web sites, hunting for anything interesting, when he saw the door was opening. He immediately stopped, his eyes darting up to greet the newcomer. 

"Ah, Ryuuzaki… have you come in to retire for the night?"

Ryuuzaki, in reply, looked around the room before frowning at Light and heading over to his closet. Light watched as the detective pulled out his pillows and walked over to place them on the bed. 

"…You're sleeping on the bed?" Light inquired, his eyebrows lifting slightly. 

Ryuuzaki arranged the pillows to his liking before turning and making his way over to his dresser, where he pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and shirt. 

Light frowned. "You're changing into clean clothes? Did you fall asleep at the computer?" 

Ryuuzaki closed the dresser's drawers before walking passed the bed to the stand that Light's dinner platter had been placed in hours before. He opened one of the lower drawers and rooted through it with a hand. 

Light scowled. "Are you planning on answering me?"

Ryuuzaki didn't stop his searching as he answered, "I'll only answer questions that you don't already know the answer to."

_Don't already knew the answer to?_ he mentally wondered before thinking about that. 

Ryuuzaki was an insomniac; and for two days now, he had come in the early morning and retrieved clean clothes before leaving. 

The damn detective hadn't bothered sleeping for the passed two days, had he?

Light frowned at the thought as he voiced his thought. "Why didn't you sleep last night or the night before?"

Ryuuzaki closed the drawer and moved up to the one above it. "I wasn't tired."

The boy's frown deepened. "Well, why weren't you?"

Ryuuzaki looked at him blankly for a second before he resumed his searching. "Why is my notepad full of used pages?"

Light looked down at the said notebook that was almost out of clean sheets. "I was keeping myself occupied," he replied simply.

"I can see that… Would you like to enlighten me as to what you have been doing?" The detective picked the pad up between his index finger and thumb and flipped through a few of the pages. He read through a few of the yellow sheets before looking at the boy again. Without a word, he bent and turned the laptop so he could read he screen. His eyes skimmed through the history before he straightened himself to his semi-upright position. "You've been working on cases?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement. 

Light shrugged. "There's nothing else to do, really, besides go through some of those. Either that or look at some sites that have the News."

Ryuuzaki's expression didn't change as he stared down at the notepad. "You certainly are good at solving things… Do these cases not keep you occupied, though?"

The boy shrugged. "Not really, but what else is there?"

Ryuuzaki tilted his head slightly. "Would you rather work on actual cases?"

The other shrugged again. "I guess--if they presented more of a challenge."

"I believe they will." He then resumed his work of searching the drawers.

Light gave the older man a slightly confused and exasperated look. He was tired of beating around the bush "What are you talking about, Ryuuzaki?"

He didn't respond for a few seconds before he pulled out a CD case. He again turned the laptop and opened the CD tray, placed the disk on it, and closed it.

A few seconds passed as the contents of it was loaded before a window popped up with different documents.

Light hesitantly clicked on one. 

"They're some cases that I received a few days ago. But they don't interest me. You can work on them if you so wish. They're nothing top-secret and they're fairly simple. The only difference between these and those ones you were working on before is that you'd have to do research for these. That should be more entertaining than just piecing what you've already been given, right?"

Light wasn't sure what to make of it all--it was a little surprising that he was given this. He looked up to thank Ryuuzaki only to see he was almost at the door. 

"Hey," he called.

Ryuuzaki stopped and looked back. "What is it?"

Light frowned again, making Ryuuzaki wonder if all the boy did was walk around scowling and glaring at the world. 

"You never answered my question," Light told him simply.

"Which one, Yagami-kun?"

For some reason the fact that Ryuuzaki had given him the endearment of –kun made him pause for a second before he remembered that the detective was waiting for his answer. "Why haven't you been tired?" From his tone, Ryuuzaki could tell that the boy did not like to have to repeat himself.

"That's simple-- it's because of a case I'm working on." Upon seeing that Light was going to ask another question, Ryuuzaki continued, answering him before he could ask. "It's perhaps one of the most interesting cases I've gotten in a long time so I find it hard to sleep when I can be working on it."

Light wasn't humored. "That's not healthy for your body, as I'm sure you know."

A small hint of a smile ghosted the older man's lips. "It seems, Yagami-kun, that I've been doing a lot of things lately that aren't healthy for me."

**_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_**

**It took me this long because I now have a job on top of school and I have less free time. Also, I am beta-less (-whispers- Which is code for 'forgive the errors'). Heh. So, if any of you would like to help me out with that, I'd be grateful. If not, then I'm also good on my own. I also know this chapter was a little… bland. Boring and had no humor. I had to set everything up for the story, though, so it kinda had to be like that. Here's a little promise: Next chapter shall be MUCH more interesting and MUCH more amusing!**

_**And to those who were concerned with Light's character**_**: Don't worry, I know he was a little vicious towards L and that he could be classified as OoC. That's because Kira is like that and because Light was still ridding himself of his Kira-ness with his memory loss (yes, he had the Death Note—it's no big secret if you didn't already know), his temperament and Kira's temperament were clashing--but no worries! This is all part of my plot. Light'll be a hundred percent back to normal in the next chap!**

**Please review! (THANK YOU ever-so much for all your kind words last chap- please keep it up! Reviews are what make me want to write.)**

**-Sayo-**


	3. Too Much Perfume

-Excited- Guess what? It's 2008! I'm one more year closer to graduating school, people! Irk—but I also have midterms in a few days… Curses… (--Note that I said I had midterms. Does that clue you in as to how long ago I STARTED this chapter? Sorry, guys. I try.)

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

**Disclaimer:** If I owned it, there would be man smex every three pages. …I suppose that would also mean there would be no plot… but we can sacrifice that for MAN SMEX!

xD

"_Well, I used to stand for something  
But forgot what that could be  
There's a lot of me inside you maybe you're afraid to see_

_Well, I used to stand for something  
Now I'm on my hands and knees  
Traded in my god for this war"_

_--"Capital G," Nine Inch Nails_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

_Chapter Three: Too Much Perfume_

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light nuzzled a little deeper into the fabric of the pillows that Ryuuzaki had tied on the bed, inhaling slightly--a small voice in the back of his head insisting he wasn't _smelling_ them, he was merely breathing whilst simultaneously enjoying the scent. He let out his breath slowly before turning his head to glance at the clock.

Nine-fifty-six AM.

During the three days he had previously been there, he had learned that almost everything was on a schedule--besides most things having to do with Ryuuzaki, but that didn't come as any surprise to Light. Seriously. No surprise at _all_.

Watari, however, seemed to be a habitual person. At _exactly_ ten o'clock every morning, he came in, changed Light's bandages, gave him his meal, and asked if there was anything he needed. At one-thirty, Watari would return with lunch and cart away the remains of breakfast, offering a kind word of some sort. Dinner was at six sharp and always consisted of an appetizer, entrée, soup, and extra-sweet dessert. Despite the fact that Light always left the sweets untouched and even suggested that Watari stop bringing them, he still found himself staring into some cake with three inches of icing every night. 

But even with that, Light found himself growing slightly fond of the older man. Despite their… _pleasant_ first meeting, Light found that Watari was rather interesting. He could even host a semi-interesting conversation. 

That was one thing that he always hated. Whenever a _normal_ person tried to talk to him, it was about stupid, boring, trivial things like gossip. Light _hated_ gossip. Even more than sweets. 

The door creaked as it opened and the brunet turned to see Watari enter, tray in hands and a roll of bandages tucked under one arm. Once he had reached Light's bedside, he placed the tray on the nightstand and turned to face the boy. Automatically, Light pulled off his shirt, revealing his bandaged torso.

Watari went through the usual morning routine, helping Light remove the old bandages before unrolling the new strip and starting to work on the rewrapping process. 

"So, pretty soon you'll be good as new," Watari commented as he continued working. Light didn't answer, his eyes settling on the wall. 

True, his injuries were healing up very nicely. His sprained ligaments were as good as they were going to get and his other wounds had closed up. Soon enough, he could leave for home. Though that still roused the question that Light was nearly killing himself over: Was Ryuuzaki just going to let him go? He was a paranoid figure, so somehow Light highly doubted that. There was the possibility that Ryuuzaki could drug him and then abandon him in the city. But for some reason, he doubted that prediction as well, which left him to mull over the other possibilities.

"How does your lower back feel?"

Light broke from his musings to turn his attention back to Watari, who was examining his spine like it was the most intricate working the older man had ever seen. "It feels tense, but other than that it's fine," he duly replied. 

Watari nodded before letting his fingers fall to the smooth skin of Light's back, tracing down the valley of his spine lightly. When he was satisfied that Light hadn't gone out and caught scoliosis overnight or something, he pulled his hand away and nodded. "You're lucky to have not sustained any internal damaging, but it is possible that you did something to your muscles. Though I'm almost a hundred percent sure there's nothing else wrong with you, I decided to cater to Ryuuzaki's paranoia."

Light wasn't sure if he was more interested in the fact that Watari was starting to speak like Ryuuzaki--who had an obsession, it seemed, with talking in percentages--or the fact that the insomniac was concerned with his well being. After a pause, he shook himself and opted for the former. He didn't care what Ryuuzaki thought of him. Really, he didn't.

"I didn't know he cared," Light dryly commented.

Watari didn't reply, but instead continued his work of tying off the bandage around his midsection--though, admittedly, the wrappings _did_ get a little tighter, making it slightly harder to breathe.

Watari finished in silence before bidding him a farewell and leaving him to enjoy his breakfast. Light looked over to the meal and gave a mental sigh of relief when he saw that--even though it was crêpes--they weren't drenched in sweet sugar.

He took a hesitant bite and swallowed when he deemed it officially edible before reaching down to pick up the laptop from its place on the floor. Nibbling on his breakfast--half of it poking out of his mouth--Light pushed the power button and waited--slightly impatiently--as it came to life. When it had finally loaded, he wasted no time in continuing his work with the CD Ryuuzaki had given him. His eyes had barely scanned over some of the files for a second before he had to resist the urge to sigh and roll his eyes.

'_If a video game suddenly went missing and someone was seen by three eyewitnesses walking out with the edge of something black poking from under his shirt, who do you _think_ took it?'_ he sarcastically quipped to himself. He had gone through the grand total of two cases that looked even a _fraction_ of a fraction interesting and all he was left with were stupid things like a video game.

Deciding it wasn't worth it, he closed the window before leaning back on the bed. He was once again going to have a boring day.

Ode to joy.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

To be honest, he had always thought that the comparison made between a throbbing headache and having a hammer beating on the back of one's skull was overdramatic and unrealistic. Now, however, L could understand where the figure of speech had come from. There was an almost pulsating pain in the back of his head and he was starting to wish he had some Advil or something handy. 

"Yes, Yagami-san," L interrupted the older man. "Yagami Raito is safe. He had some serious injuries, but he's fine now--"

" 'Now'?" Soichiro echoed, a trace of horror lining his tone. "He wasn't 'fine' before?"

"He was always in the best of care," L insipidly assured.

"That's not an answer to my question!" Soichiro growled. "He was seriously hurt, wasn't he? Oh, I swear--"

"Though I must say, he has quite a bright mind," L interrupted, tone thoughtful as he successfully changed the subject.

Soichiro paused for a second as the words sank in. "Yes, he is _very_ intelligent." Pure pride oozed thickly from his words. There was a pause and L could tell that Soichiro wasn't done yet. And, indeed, a few moments later, he spoke up again. "Is there any way--?" He cut himself off before beginning again, this time sounded confident as he said, "I wish to see my son."

"I'm sorry Yagami-san. At this time, I'm afraid that's impossible--" L had barely managed to say the last syllable of _impossible_ when Soichiro barked his response:

"What do you mean 'impossible'? Why am I not permitted to see my son? Are you keeping him from me? Rest assured, Ryuuzaki-san, that if you are, I'll have you regretting it with every inch of your life--whether or not you are currently important to the police force."

Had L been anyone else, he would've rolled his eyes at Soichiro's words. "I'm not keeping him from you, Yagami-san. But I do have our safety to look after. It would be dangerous for you two to meet right now. I can't reveal my location. The safest thing to do would be to wait until he's out of my care to see him."

"But he's my _son_. How can you deny me--?"

"I assure you, Yagami-san. You _will_ be able to see him soon. In fact, tomorrow I can call you with more details."

Soichiro hesitated before slowly asking, "So there _is_ a way for me to see him?"

"I'm not giving a definite yes or no, but there is a chance if I decide to act," L explained, bringing his thumb up to his mouth.

"Act on what?" Soichiro inquired, his tone going back to professional. "Are you referring to Kira?"

"Kira has been dormant for a week now. It's a cause for concern on my part. I'm still not sure if it's part of a plan he has or if he's injured." L paused for a second before continuing, "Due to the fact that I can usually predict Kira's moves or at least understand why he made them, I admit I can't understand why he would just suddenly stop… My only guess is that he's injured or something of the like. I think I have a way to counteract."

"Counteract?" Soichiro repeated, sounding like the word was a foreign one to him. "If he hasn't done anything, how can you counteract?"

L continued to chew on his thumb for a few seconds before a small grin slowly spread across his lips. "This brings me to my next question. Just how great of a detective is your son?"

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light was nearly ready to throw something across the room, just for the sake of something to do. Of course, he would never really do anything of the sort. He was a proud man, and wouldn't stoop so low just for some sort of entertainment--despite how tempting the opportunity may be.

He had checked his emails earlier and hadn't received anything. But that was about two hours ago. Hoping with all hope that he had _something_ to read and maybe even reply to, he opened the laptop for the ninth time that morning, took his time typing in the address for his messaging system before entering his email address and password. He waited patiently for the screen to load before his eyes hungrily took in the screen. He was ready to throw the 'hand-held bundle of fun' (1) against the wall when he saw that he had no new mail and _still_ had nothing to do.

Of course, he would never do such a thing. But at the moment, he could almost hear the crunch of the electronic components breaking. 

"Is there something on my wall?" a new voice asked. Light slowly turned to face the newcomer.

"No, not really," he informed Ryuuzaki dryly.

Ryuuzaki slowly blinked in surprise before his thumb found his mouth--subconsciously, Light was ready to chop the finger off or something; Ryuuzaki's habit of chewing on it was getting old--before making his way to a chair and taking a seat in it. His rear end had barely made contact with the cushion before his legs were pulled up so the soles of his feet were flat out on the chair.

"You were staring at the wall like it would reveal some secret of life… or something," Ryuuzaki said, encouraging Light to shed some light on it.

"Maybe it would," Light commented off-handedly. "How about you join me and we find out?"

"Ah, sarcasm duly noted."

Light scowled up at the ceiling in thought. "So, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Am I not allowed to come and go through my room as I please?"

The brunet sighed lightly. "I suppose so," he murmured. "But it's unlike you to come for a visit without some reason behind it."

"Do you not enjoy my presence?" Ryuuzaki's head tilted slightly as he regarded the younger boy.

"It's not that. I suppose I do enjoy your presence. You're never a bore to talk to. And I… sorta have nothing to do anymore…" He grumbled the last part, not really wanting to admit out loud that he was bored and wanted something--just about anything--to do.

Ryuuzaki paused for a second, his thumb falling from his mouth as he stared at Light. "Have you completed everything I gave you, then?"

Light shrugged before replying. "I did most of them… A few weren't even worth the effort. Just by glancing at them, I could pretty much solve them. But now I have nothing to do."

Light glanced over at Ryuuzaki, knowing he would get the hint. What he wasn't sure of was whether or not he would take it and offer something else for him to do. Ryuuzaki, however, remained silent, his face giving no hints as to what he was thinking. A long silence formed and Light was starting to think that Ryuuzaki had no intention of breaking it when he finally spoke.

"What do you know of Kira?"

Light mentally growled in slight frustration. That was _not_ what he had been hoping Ryuuzaki would answer with. But… at least having an in-depth conversation with the detective would keep him occupied for a while.

"He's a serial killer. I suppose 'killer' is the wrong term. I've heard that he kills his victims without even touching them. All of his victims succumb to heart attacks. He's apparently a genius--definitely the most intelligent criminal to date. He's made himself a self-acclaimed god in the eyes of many, and that seems to be just what he wants."

"Is he?"

Light looked over at Ryuuzaki, not sure what he was talking about. "Is he what?"

"Is he a god?" Ryuuzaki clarified.

"It's all a matter of opinion," Light automatically answered. "Everything is a matter of opinion, if you think about it. People are what make something or someone a god. If you believe in it, then it can be classified as a god, but to those who don't believe, to them it can't be classified as such."

"So then do you believe Kira to be a god?"

"No." He definitely did not.

Ryuuzaki let a few seconds pass, absorbing the new information before continuing. "So then, do you believe Kira should be captured for the criminal he is and punished as such?"

"Yes. Of course I do. He's killed many innocent people. Any person could see that's he insane." To Light, Kira was just another criminal. Criminals were to be captured and placed in jail to receive their judgment. That was how it worked when one sinned.

"So then, if you received the chance to help in the mission to capture Kira, what would you say?" the detective slowly asked. 

Light's golden-brown eyes flicked over to the older man for a second before a small smile-smirk--it was a crossover of the two, something only Light could do, it seemed--bloomed across his features. "You're working on the Kira case." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Ryuuzaki replied easily.

"And you want me to help you out."

"In a word, yes. You could be a huge asset to this case. If we work together, I know we could be the best team Japan's ever seen. Kira wouldn't be able to outsmart both of us."

"I knew there was another reason behind why you came in here for a visit," was all Light said in reply. He laid himself out flat on the bed and tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Does that mean you'd accept?"

"Of course. Working on a case like the Kira case is something that would present a challenge. A _real_ challenge."

"He's seemingly disappeared," Ryuuzaki informed Light.

Light glanced over to Ryuuzaki again. "What do you mean by 'disappeared'?" he questioned, frowning.

"Exactly what I said; he hasn't killed anyone in seven days and it's a cause for concern. Nobody knows what he's planning--if, indeed, he's planning anything at all."

"He could be temporarily out of commission," Light mused out loud.

"Exactly," Ryuuzaki agreed. "And that's what we need to find out."

"How do you propose we go about that? Is there any way we could tempt him to come out?"

Ryuuzaki remained unmoved for a long second and then he brightened. "Oh, yes. I called your father earlier today. He seemed very adamant about seeing you. I take it he's always like that?"

"Yes. But I'm guessing you turned him down on the subject of seeing me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Did I say that?" It was a question, not an answer.

Light decided he didn't feel like having a verbal battle just to find out whether or not his father was coming for a visit. To him, it was fairly obvious that Ryuuzaki had quite a case of paranoia and wouldn't allow anyone else into his home. It had been a fluke with Light. And Light was fairly sure the detective would take extra measures to make sure nothing of the sort would ever happen again. 

"Anyway, my legs are getting cramped from being confined to this room," Light informed Ryuuzaki, dropping a hint the detective most definitely was not going to miss.

"That is _most_ unfortunate," was the only response from the detective.

But it was once again all a matter on whether or not Ryuuzaki would _take_ the gods-forsaken hint. "It's really not healthy for me to do nothing than lie in bed all day," Light said, trying again.

"In that case, I would suggest you walk around the room. This is, after all, the master bedroom. It's fairly large and would be more than enough room for you to stretch your legs."

Light's patience thinned slightly. He wasn't going to stoop so low as to _beg_, but he would _persist_, if need be. "Ah, yes. I could do that. But it's also my mind that wants out of this room. And just walking around in it wouldn't do anything for me psychologically, now would it?"

Ryuuzaki's eyes narrowed slightly--very, very slightly--in thought as he apparently contemplated something. Light was half expecting him to change the subject again when he decided to speak once more.

"Actually, I don't think it would hurt anything at this point for you to 'stretch your legs.' In fact, I could go with you and explain some things."

For a second, Light wasn't quite sure whether or not Ryuuzaki was sincere or not. The older man hadn't showed any sign of sincerity, at least--but, then again, he never really seemed to show signs of _anything _with his apathetic expressions.

It was when Ryuuzaki slipped off the chair and made his way to the door, opening it and turning to face Light, that the brunet got the feeling that Ryuuzaki had been quite serious. All doubts were dispelled when he spoke. "Shall we go, then?"

Light literally rolled off the mattress in an unceremonious manner. However, to make up for his less-than-graceful fall, he landed lightly on his feet in an almost elegant movement. He then straightened before heading over to the door. Once they were out of the room, Ryuuzaki took his place at Light's side as they traveled through the hall. 

It was a second nature to Light to take in every possible detail about his surroundings and as such, as the two traversed through the corridor, he found his eyes flicking back and forth from the walls. There wasn't much to take in, which wasn't a great surprise to Light. He supposed the Ryuuzaki took extra measures to have nothing in his home that could link him to his identity. He was sure that the name _Ryuuzaki_ was a pseudonym, but it didn't really bother him. A lot of detectives used nicknames nowadays. 

Mostly, the hallway was empty. The walls were a light, cream color with no pictures, paintings, or any other hanging decoration. At least, currently. Upon closer inspection, Light could see nails still sticking out of the plaster where _something_ had to have been hanging at some point. He frowned and debated on commenting on it. Ryuuzaki beat him to it.

"I had a few Picasso and traditional pieces up. Nothing of your concern. They were merely taken down for the packing." Absently, Ryuuzaki blew a raven lock that was tickling his eyebrow. He looked blankly at it before trying to blow it away again.

"It would work better if you actually used your hand," Light idly commented before continuing. "What do you mean they were 'taken down for the packing'?"

Ryuuzaki let out another short, sharp breath upward. The stubborn piece of hair floated back down to his face and finally, Ryuuzaki lifted a hand to meticulously pinch the raven lock between his forefinger and thumb, examining it thoroughly.

"Ryuuzaki… it's your hair. It won't hurt you," Light assured. He was unsure as to whether he should be amused with the detective's behavior or exasperated.

"Ah, Yagami-kun, of course it is," the older man replied. "Hair is merely an inanimate object that is made up of dead skin cells."

Light resisted the urge to thwack him or anything along that train of thought. He decided not replying at all was the best option for this situation. And so, they exited the hall in silence. The room they entered must have been the family room or something--or would've been the family room if Ryuuzaki had a family living with him. Light figured Ryuuzaki wouldn't have any unnecessary appliances--probably a couch, table and TV. Nothing fancy.

So, when the only thing in the room to be seen were two hardwood chairs over in the corner, he had to admit he was slightly taken aback. The room was bare. Like in the hall, there was nothing on the walls save for a couple scattered nails, but even those were few and far between. 

He supposed his expression must've reflected how he felt because Ryuuzaki was soon explaining the state of the room. "I've asked Watari to pack it for me. I've been busy with the Kira case."

"Yes, you mentioned that you packed away the works you apparently had on your walls," Light slowly said. "Any particular reason why you're tucking everything away?"

"Ah, yes," Ryuuzaki replied, tone light-hearted, like he was conversing on the delectableness of some muffins over tea. "We are all moving."

" '_We_ all'?" Light echoed, not sure what he meant by that.

"Yes," the detective affirmed. "Watari, you, and I shall be moving tonight."

"And how do you plan on going about this? I thought you didn't trust anyone to know where you lived." 

"I don't. I know you have questions, but save them for after the explanation, ne?" He didn't wait for Light to respond before continuing. "Watari is going to move my things to another one of my homes. This one is out of the country, so I won't have to worry about you finding out anything about me. You and I, in the meantime, will take up residence in a hotel farther in the city. Every two days, we'll rotate hotels for safety purposes as we work on this case. As well as you and me, your father is helping me work on this, and also his team."

Light slowly exhaled. "But I will still be leaving this house that you previously owned, correct?"

"Ah, yes. I forgot to go into the details about your part in the move itself. Tonight with your dinner, you will receive a cup of tea. Watari will add a few chemicals to it that will make you pass out. When you wake up, it'll be tomorrow and you'll find yourself in the hotel."

"So, you are still paranoid about your identity being found out," Light murmured, more to himself than anything. "And why a liquid sedation, if I may ask?"

Ryuuzaki shrugged, his thumb finding his mouth. "It was either that or sleeping gas. The gas would leave a bad taste in your mouth."

Light's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued to regard the other man. "Do I have to be put under? I mean, if you're going to move, it shouldn't really matter anymore--"

"It matters," the other calmly cut in. "And you know that."

Yes, he knew that it could matter. But the thought of someone like _him_ being forced to--Light cut off his thoughts with a blink. 'Someone like _him_'? Sure, Light was a genius, but he wasn't a _god _or anything along those lines. Sighing in resignation, his eyes flicked away from the detective as he replied, "Fine, I guess."

The tips of Ryuuzaki's lips twitched upward ever-so-slightly in amusement. "You won't even notice that you're unconscious."

"Until I wake up and find myself in some strange place," Light grumbled in response. "That's why you're letting me out of the bedroom, isn't it? We'll be gone by tomorrow, so as long as you're with me to act as chaperone, I can explore a little bit."

"I'm not going to deny that part of that is truth. But your excursion must now come to an end. We'll go back to the room." With that, Ryuuzaki turned and headed back into the hallway. Light felt slight disappointment for some reason at not being able to stay out of the stupid room longer, but decided it wasn't worth fighting over, as much as he would like to protest. He was basically a prisoner currently due to lack of trust. Well, not really lack of trust but more paranoia. 

When the bedroom door was shut behind him, he definitely felt like sighing. The lock clicked into place, safely securing him in the room. The noise almost seemed to echo, like it was trying to tell him something.

Light snorted at his thoughts--the isolation was getting to his mind--before laying down flat on his back on the bed. Faintly, an almost unique scent entered his nose and he resisted the urge to glare at the gods-forsaken pillows. 

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

Light felt like he was preparing himself for a death sentence. Truly, he did. When Watari came in that night and told him to drink the cup of jasmine tea last --unless he felt like passing out and doing a face plant into his meal-- he was ready to dump the tea out and say to screw it all. However, Ryuuzaki had enough foresight to have Watari patiently wait with Light until he had finished his meal and downed the cursed tea. 

Seriously, Light was really starting to feel like an inmate in a prison. He made sure to slowly eat his dinner, relishing in his last moments before he lost consciousness. But like life, the slower he tried to move, the faster time seemed to slip by and soon enough, he found himself staring at an empty plate. 

Watari placed the cup of tea before him and Light resisted the urge to glare at the offending cup of liquid. 

"You won't be able to tell it's drugged," Watari assured upon seeing his hesitation. 

Light wasn't so sure about that as he slowly lifted the cup towards his lips. The rim came into contact with his mouth and he once again momentarily wondered if this was how a criminal collared with capital punishment felt before facing their death. 

It was at that point that he mentally kicked himself in the head for his stupidity before chugging the whole thing in one swing. He pulled it from his lips with a small smack. He willingly handed the empty cup over to Watari. 

"It should take effect soon enough. I'll stay with you until it does," the elder man informed him, neatly placing the cup on Light's dinner tray.

Light scowled. "You'll stay with me until it does?" he repeated. "Just how long--?"

He didn't remember anything after that point. 

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

The sunshine was bright, causing him to see red against the back of his eyelids. He slowly opened them only to shut them again when his corneas felt as though they were being burned alive from the bright rays from the sun that was shining in from the nearby window. Light estimated that it was somewhere in the mid-afternoon, maybe around three or four. He also guessed that the gentle throbbing of his head and the slight dizziness he felt were most likely some side effect of the drug.

Light decided he didn't feel like hunting around for some sort of pain reliever, so instead he opted to relax and wait for sleep to take him again, which it did. 

The next time the brunet opened his eyes, the shadow from his bed was stretched the whole way across the expanse of his room and was starting to climb up the wall on the other side. Wincing slightly at a crick in his neck from sleeping on the muscle wrong, he sat up and started to examine his surroundings. 

Just as Ryuuzaki had told him, he was in a hotel room, definitely. The stiff mattress and thin quilt was a dead giveaway. While the bedroom was a nice size, it wasn't as extravagant as Ryuuzaki's room at his old house. There were a few traditional paintings adorning the wall and overall, the decorations were fairly simply--very nondescript. Though there was a bathroom directly attached to the bedroom. That was nice. 

Speaking of bathrooms, Light felt a need to shower. For some reason, being contained to a room seemed to make one feel dirty. A shower was the least he deserved for allowing Ryuuzaki to drug him anyway. So, he fished around the room for a while until he found a suitable change of clothes. 

The shower was, indeed, refreshing. It felt nice to clean away any filth on his body and the warm water did wonders for his aching neck. When he finally stepped out of the bathroom--clad in boxers and jeans, his shirt folded neatly over his arm and his towel wrapped around his neck--he was proud to say he did _not_ have heart failure when the first thing he saw was Ryuuzaki's face barely six inches away from his. He did take a step backward in surprise, but that was about it.

A little abashed at being caught off guard, Light narrowed his eyes slightly in disdain at the other man. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was coming to talk to you about some things."

Light looked over at his shoulder for a second before his gaze returned to Ryuuzaki. He raised a brow. "What? Did you plan on getting in the shower with me or something?" he asked snidely. 

The older man stopped chewing on his finger as he regarded Light. "Is that what Yagami-kun wished for me to do?" His tone was deprived of any emotion, but the comment was still enough to make Light want to throttle him.

Instead, he lifted one hand so he could rub his temples. "What did you want?"

"Ah, yes. Please sit down, Yagami-kun. We have several things to discuss." Ryuuzaki then turned and took a seat in the blue armchair that was near the bed. Light really didn't want to indulge the older man so much as to listen to him, but he knew that they did need to talk some things out. So, albeit reluctantly, he found himself heading towards the hard bed and sitting down on it, turning so he was facing Ryuuzaki. Though he was mildly displeased with the man, he still had manners and couldn't ignore the part of him that insisted he show at least _some_ common courtesy.

"So," he began, his arms folding on his lap as he got comfortable, "what did you wish to discuss?"

"There are many things we need to review and go over, but first, I must tell you that your father wishes to see you. I have arranged it so that tomorrow he will come to see you for lunch. I take it you don't have any protest to this?" He paused and watched Light shrug.

"I guess not. I don't mind him coming and it's not like right now I have anything else to do in my free time."

"Ah, but soon enough you won't have too much free time when you start working on the case. I'm not sure how much free time you'll have then or how often your father will be able to make his comfort visitations. But there is a chance that we'll be working closely with him and his team on this. So, there _is_ a chance that you'll see him almost daily. However, I believe you should see him before just as a precaution. I also need to tell him in person about an adjustment that needs to be made."

Light nodded as he moved the towel to dry his hair before slipping into his shirt. "That makes sense." 

Ryuuzaki continued. "As I briefly informed you before, we will be moving from hotels every other day as not to be found by Kira. I have Watari plant cameras in every room, though, so don't think that you can do something without being seen."

"I'm not sure why you would think you would require cameras to watch me."

"I think you can guess."

"Yes, I can make an educated guess. Your paranoid and you don't fully trust me."

Ryuuzaki gave a small sigh. "I would like to trust you, Yagami-kun, but with things as they are…" He drifted off.

"Yes, I know," Light said dismissively. "Please just continue."

"Ah, yes." Ryuuzaki reached into his pocket and pulled two objects out. "First off--you are familiar with how Kira kills his victims, are you not?"

"Of course I am. He uses heart attacks. What has everyone baffled is how he kills them without even touching or going near them. He needs to know their name and what they look like to kill them apparently." Light gave him a look that asked him to clarify why that was so important.

Ryuuzaki nodded. "Precisely. He needs their name and what they look like. If he lacks one of these sources, he cannot kill them. That is why from now on you are Kenjiro Amagawa." Ryuuzaki held out Light's wallet and Light took it before flipping it open. Inside was a new--false--ID complete with his picture and the name _Amagawa Kenjiro_ below that. "If, by chance, someone finds this ID, your real name won't get out. It's much safer."

Light nodded in agreement before pocketing his wallet. "That seems to be the smartest thing to do in these circumstances."

"And lastly, put this watch on." Ryuuzaki held out the device and Light took it. He examined it for a second before wrapping it around his wrist and fastening it. 

"What does this do?"

"It has a locater in it. If you disappear for some reason, I'll be able to find you with no problem."

"It's another factor of trust, then."

Ryuuzaki shook his head. "Not specifically. If you go out and don't come back, it could be possible that Kira killed you or something happened. The locater in the watch will help us to find you. Also, it can be used as a short-distance radio."

" 'If I go out and don't come back'?" Light repeated to himself. "If I'm stuck in the hotel, how can I possibly get lost?"

The other man stared at him for a short moment before answering. "Why would I limit you to the hotel, Amagawa-kun?" he asked, making sure to use Light's pseudonym. "You're free to leave if you wish. I have nothing to hide here."

"So, then… I _can_ go outside?" Light inquired hesitantly, like just asking was enough to make the detective change his mind. 

"I do not lie, Amagawa-kun. Of course you can." 

Ryuuzaki continued to regard Light. Light thought about that for a second before standing up. "I take it we're done talking, then."

"Yes," Ryuuzaki agreed. "We are."

"Very well. Then I'm going to go out while the night is still young," Light informed his companion as he slipped on a pair of socks. 

"I would suggest you wait, though," Ryuuzaki murmured around his thumb. "The weather was calling for rain tonight."

"I really don't care if we were about to experience a meteor shower," Light retorted. "I've been inside for several days and right now, getting caught in the rain sounds refreshing."

"Then perhaps you should just take an umbrella with you?" Ryuuzaki called at him as he opened the bedroom door.

"I actually won't be out that long," Light assured, "so I don't see any reason in carrying one around for no reason."

He shut the bedroom door behind him as he left. It took him a few minutes to maneuver through the hotel room to the door, but eventually, he managed it and pulled on his shoes. 

It took the elevator over a minute to finally come up to the twenty-second floor, where he was. And for some reason, waiting a minute was too long. So when he stepped into the elevator, he jabbed the button for the main floor impatiently and wondered why it took a full ten seconds for the doors to close. 

It took Light a while to meander his way to the main entrance once he exited the elevator. But eventually, he found the exit he was looking for. He started off in the direction of it when someone called out to him.

"Oi! You there!"

At first Light wasn't sure who the person--it was a woman--was trying to grab the attention of. It was when that woman grabbed his wrist from behind him and tugged that he knew she wanted to talk to him.

And despite the fact that he was itching to walk through the doors that were less than thirty feet in front of him--the damn things were teasing him, he was sure--he tilted his head so he was looking in the general direction of the woman and replied. "How can I help you?"

She was youngish--probably a year or so younger than Light himself--and, admittedly, she was rather pretty. She grinned up at him and, releasing his wrist, used the same hand to flick a long lock of her hair away from her face. "I just wanted to ask you something," she replied, grinning. "I'm Moe, by the way; Moe Rikyo. (2) But feel free to just address me as Moe."

Light continued to stare at the Moe-figure. "Is there something you need?" he asked bluntly. "I'm sorta in a rush."

"That's okay," Moe assured him, her grin widening. "I actually work here and when I saw you, I wanted to know something."

Already this conversation was incredibly boring to Light. He gave her a look that told her to get on with it and she hooked both of her wrists around one of his arms, leaning into him slightly.

He actually _liked _this shirt--it was one that Watari had bought for him--and he really didn't want her to soil it with her overly-strong perfume. As he tried to slip out of her grasp, her hold became stronger and he realized he had no hope of escaping until she deemed it so unless he used physical force. And he wouldn't do that--there were eye-witnesses around.

So instead he patiently waited for her to explain her purpose. 

Moe let out a small laugh as she pulled herself closer to Light. "You act like this is the first time anyone's taken an interest in you _that way_." Her emphasis on _that way_ very clearly made her intentions known. While Light had plenty of women take in an interest in him 'that way,' he never in his life ever found himself interested in those women 'that way.' And most certainly not women like this Moe person--women like her were _annoying_.

She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his ear. "I go on my dinner break in a little under ten minutes. And it's easy for me to borrow a room from this hotel since I work here."

Light flicked his golden-brown eyes in her direction. "I'm sorry. I'm in a rush. I'll be on my way now."

Moe stepped back, pouting. "Surely you don't mean that?" she asked in what she presumed was a very enticing and seductive voice.

"I do," he assured her as he finally managed to work his arm loose. "I bid you a farewell--and I suggest you wipe off some of your perfume. It's _very_ strong." Without saying anything else, he turned and continued to the doors. He didn't turn around when she called for him to wait. Instead, he pressed his palms against the bar on the door and pushed it open. Warm, muggy air immediately rushed at him and he relished in the feeling before turning in whatever direction he fancied and walked aimlessly, just enjoying the feeling of moving.

Light could tell immediately that they hadn't left Tokyo. In fact, if he hailed a taxi--and if he had money to pay for it--he could drive to his house quite easily. He had never really taken a huge delight in anything about the city. In fact, a lot of the time he merely ignored his surroundings since he deemed it not worthy of his time. However, after several days of what could be called solitary confinement, he found he quite missed the sights and sounds of the busy city-life. 

The streets were crowded with what he guessed were people hurrying home from their afternoon job. He was repeatedly shoved and bumped, but currently, he couldn't find it in himself to really care. He passed some electronic store with several TVs on display in the front window, each one turned on and channeled to the same news program. He stopped briefly to listen. After a few short reports on some fatal accidents and a murder, the anchor shifted and started a report on Kira.

"_As you may know, it appears that the murderer known as Kira has been lying low for the past week. There have only been thirteen cases of a cardiac arrest in the past seven days and every one of those cases has been classified as completely natural. There are mixed feelings on this in the public. Some are relieved and hoping that this self-acclaimed god will stay gone, while others are nervous, saying that Kira has something dreadful planned. However, this morning, our office received a letter that was signed _Kira_. While the letter was short, it has definitely caused some excitement on our part. _

"_Can we get it on air?_" The anchor pulled his mike to his ear as he awaited a reply. Finally he nodded and turned his attention back to the camera to say, "_It's currently on your screen. Feel free to read it._" As he spoke, a letter filled the small TV screen. There were two creases in it from where it had been previously folded to most likely fit in an envelope. Light raised a brow before reading it. The message was easy to read.

_Citizens,_

_Please note that I am not gone from this world. I have yet to finish my purification. There is still a lot of trash to take out, so to speak. Expect me to be back with a vengeance very soon. And when that happens, criminals, be prepared for your death. I must say, the condition of our world is something that sickens me. The sinners must be dealt with._

_And I implore you to answer this question: have I really done this world wrong by ridding this world of its filth? Even those ignorant of my existence have surely noticed that the crime rate has dropped significantly since I came into being._

_This is merely something for you to ponder on. I will be back. I assure you._

_Kira._

Light's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the letter. That didn't sound like the Kira he had come to know at _all_. 

The letter faded and the anchor filled the screen once again. "_What you have just read was received today around two o'clock this afternoon. But we are still left to wonder just what happened to Kira to cause this pause in his killing. This afternoon--_"

But Light never heard what had happened that afternoon. Instead, he felt something slam into his side and thin arms wrap around his neck. And then he heard the screech. 

"Raito-kuuun! Oh, Raito-kun!"

Light looked down to see a girl. Almost immediately after taking her in--she was, apparently, a goth of some sort--he almost keeled over from the strong wave of perfume that assaulted his nose. Instead of doing something unbecoming--though the urge to cover his nose was great--he merely tried to breathe through his mouth. Before he had a chance to address the girl, she looked up to Light and gave a huge smile. For some reason, she looked familiar and it irked him that he couldn't recall her name or how they were acquainted.

"Raito-kun!" she breathed happily before starting off. "Oh, I was _so_ happy when I glanced over and glimpsed your name through the crowd! Of course, I didn't need to _see _your name to know you were here. I _always_ know when you're around--I am your girlfriend, after all!"

Anything else she babbled after that was lost to him as he continued to stare at her. "…Girlfriend…?" he hesitantly uttered softly to himself. He had a girlfriend? Why wasn't this ringing any bells? His eyes narrowed slightly as he thoroughly examined the girl before him, finally tuning back into what she was saying.

"…but that shouldn't be any cause for concern, Raito-kun! Raito-kun told me not to do anything on her own without instruction, so I haven't actually used it--Misa-Misa doesn't want to ruin Raito-kun's chance!"

Chance at what exactly, he wasn't sure, but he was slightly grateful to the girl. The words _Misa-Misa_ struck something in the back of his mind. Just like how something nearly forgotten can be resurfaced from the brain through a picture, memories flooded into his mind and almost immediately after she finished speaking, he realized that the girl was Amane Misa. 

"Misa," he calmly murmured to her, gaining her full and unwavering attention. "You're wearing too much perfume." It was the only thing he could think of at the moment to say. Her perfume was much, _much_ too strong for him to bear and he felt the need to tell her so. Misa leaned back to look at him in faint surprise, blinking dumbly, and Light felt the need to say something more intelligent to make up for his ridiculous, earlier-uttered phrase.

He opened his mouth to continue--to maybe ask what she was talking about earlier and where she got the crazy idea that they were together--but something cold and wet landed with a plop on his cheek and anything he had prepared to say died on his tongue before it was even born. Curiously, he glanced up as another splash of cold landed on his other cheek. 

_Rain_, he thought subconsciously. And with that thought, a downpour started. The water fell so heavily from the sky it looked more like someone was dumping a huge bucket of water over Tokyo rather than droplets. Everyone on the streets immediately froze in the commute and scurried about for some shelter. They resembled ants with the way they were running blindly for the first dry spot they saw, and Light found he didn't want to resemble an ant for some reason. So, instead, he took advantage of the mini panic, turned and slipped through the thinning crowds, back in the direction he came from. 

Somewhere behind him, he could faintly hear Misa panicking--"Misa-Misa lost sight of Raito-kun! Raito-kun? Raito-kun, can you hear me!"--but ignored it. Instead, he continued back in the direction of the hotel. He couldn't see more than two or three feet in front of him through the thick rain, but he decided that it didn't matter. There weren't going to be any people to worry about running into and the traffic would definitely be slower with the intense storm. He knew he was already soaked all the way through his clothes to his skin. He also didn't care at that moment. For some reason, he didn't feel like running out of the rain like everyone else had instinctively done. 

So, instead, he slipped his hands in his pockets and continued on. Idly, he was thinking that although it was a bother to be caught in the rain, at least it there was a chance that the excess amount of perfume both Moe and Misa had worn wouldn't be soaked into his shirt anymore. 

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

It had taken him nearly a full hour to shove open the doors to the hotel he and Ryuuzaki were staying at. The glass door slowly shut behind him and he was aware that both of the receptionists behind the check-in desk--one of them was Moe--were looking at him oddly and he didn't blame them. Light took a step and his shoes made a squelching noise as some of the water that flooded his shoes was forced out. 

He didn't say a word to them as he traveled past them to the elevator in a series of squishing noises. He didn't say a word as the elevator dinged open. He stepped out and walked down the hallway to his hotel room--number 1473. He checked his pocket for a key but found nothing. He then patted down his whole body, thinking that maybe it had sewn itself somewhere on him. He found nothing. He let out a growling sigh as he realized that Ryuuzaki had not bothered to give him a room key. His knuckles rapped firmly on the wood of the door as he thought of all the ways to slowly kill a certain raven-haired detective. Several moments passed and no one answered. Growing exasperated, he called out, "Ryuuzaki, it's me--Raito."

There was no reply. 

It took him seven seconds to realize that no one was going to answer the door. His muscles trembled from barely suppressed frustration as he whirled and just about stomped back to the elevator. When he was once again on the main floor, he continued to the check-in desk where the two women where still sitting.

Undoubtedly, as he once again made his appearance--looking much like a drowned rat with his drenched clothes and wind-swept, soaking hair that most likely currently resembled short dreadlocks--both of the women were wondering if he had the right building. He knew he looked like something an animal chewed on and spat back out and he most likely seemed like he was completely lost.

He stepped before Moe--who was staring at him in a mixture of confusion and amusement--asking, "I need. My key," he ground out. It more of an order than a request.

Moe's thin brows rose to hide in her thin, wispy bangs. "What room, sir?" she asked politely, giving him an unsure look.

"1473," he replied tersely, impatience lining his tone. 

Moe flicked through something behind the desk before turning her attention back to him. "The occupants of that room wish not to be disturbed and have requested that I hand out absolutely no extra room keys."

Light wanted to deck her. Really, he did. "I _am_ an occupant," he managed to calmly tell her in response.

Moe blinked in mild surprise before leaning to the left and shuffling through some papers. Finally, she turned to face him again. "Are you Yagami Raito?" she asked in a professional voice.

"Yes, I am."

"I'll need to see some identification then, sir, and the key is as good as yours." She smiled at him.

Light pulled out his sopping wallet and peeled it open. His ID card was hard to pull out, but he managed before shoving it at her. "There it is. May I please have the damn key now?"

Moe examined the card before smiling at him politely, handing the card back. "I'm so sorry, sir."

"It's quite alright," he assured as he accepted the card.

"But I told you that the occupants of that room didn't want to be disturbed by _anyone_. You included."

"What?" he demanded before looking down at his ID card. 

He was ready to throw a temper tantrum like a three year old would.

Gleaming back at him from the card was the name _Amagawa Kenjiro_ under a picture of himself. Why the hell would Ryuuzaki give him the stupid card and then go and enter his real name into the hotel? His eyes darkened with frustration as he looked back up at Moe. "I'm wet," he told her simply.

"I can see that," was her reply.

"I'm cold," he continued.

"I can see why you would be, sir."

"I'm uncomfortable in these clothes," he continued again. 

"I can understand why."

"I need a shower."

Moe nodded. "I would, too."

"I want. My key," he finished. 

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. My policy says I can't give it to you--"

"Moe," he interrupted. "I. Want. My key."

Moe's brow crinkled as she looked down to her right breast where a shiny nametag read _Hello my name is: MEROKO and I'll be happy to help you!_ She looked up at him again and inquired, "What did you call me?"

Light resisted the urge to sigh. "Moe," he answered. "It's what you told me to call you before your dinner break, or so you said."

Moe's--or Meroko's, or whatever she was called--eyebrows shot up again. "You're that hot guy from earlier?" she asked incredulously. "What _happened_ to you? You… sure don't _look _like him." Her eyes took in his currently wild appearance.

But Light could see a way out of this and took it. "Moe," he murmured gently. "I got caught in the rain and I forgot my key in the room. Will you _please_ give me a key?" He mentally gagged at the word _please_. Geniuses like him did not beg like some fool. But desperate times called for desperate measures. 

Moe leaned forward over the desk and Light got a whiff of her perfume again and mentally gagged once more. "I'll tell you what," she told him softly. "If you can tell me the name of the other occupant of the room, I'll call the room and see if they'll allow me to give you a key. Sound fair?"

Light nodded. "It's Ryuuzaki…" He drifted off and mentally slapped his forehead. He had finally found a way to his room and it failed miserably.

"Ryuuzaki…?" Moe prompted, looking for a last name.

"…That's all I know," Light eventually grumbled.

Moe sighed. "Well, you got the first name right. So… I guess I'll make an exception." She smiled brightly before picking up a black, cord phone that was on speaker phone and waited as it rang. It rang thirteen times before someone eventually picked up.

"Hello?" Ryuuzaki asked, tone apathetic as always.

"Ah, sir," Moe began. "I have someone down here that is in need of a key and wished to obtain one. Would it be alright with you if I give him one?"

"And who would this person be?"

"Amagawa Kenjiro," Moe replied instantly. "He has been asking for a key for the past twenty minutes."

"…And why aren't you letting Yagami-kun up again?"

Moe blinked in surprise. "Um, sir, it's _Amagawa_-kun that's here for a key, not Yagami-san."

"Please give him a key and do not keep one from him next time. Thank you. Good night." With that, he hung up. Moe blinked in surprise before looking at Light and grinning. 

"Well, he said it was fine, so…" She plucked out a white card key that was no bigger than his ID and held it out for him to take. "Just so you know, my offer from before still stands!" she called after him as he started heading for the elevator for the second time. 

Anyone he met in the hallways was at the receiving end of his glare, especially if they glanced over at him curiously. His clothes were freezing cold from the air conditioning and he wanted out of them. He combed a few locks of hair that dangled in his face, trying to make himself more presentable. All he managed to do was split the locks into rat tails. He decided it wasn't worth it as he slid his card through the reader and waited for the red dot to turn green. For a second, he thought he was going to have a stroke of bad luck and, in fact, be holding the key to another room. But the light on the reader blinked off before the green one illuminated and the black security box beeped.

Light nearly ripped the door off its hinges as he tugged it open. Almost immediately, he saw Ryuuzaki sitting not but forty feet away from the door on a chair, working on a laptop.

"Did you just come in?" Light asked, forcing his tone to stay calm. 

Ryuuzaki shook his head slightly. "I've been here all night. The news broadcast that was on earlier caught my attention. Perhaps you saw it--?" He never finished his sentence, for quite suddenly, a fist connected his left eye. Tiny bolts of pain sizzled at the area. Light stood, looking down at him with a murderous look in his eyes. Ryuuzaki leaned back and swung his leg up. It made connection with Light's chin with a _crack_. Light fell over backwards, landing on his rump, rubbing his chin idly.

"Whatever was that for, Yagami-kun?" Ryuuzaki asked, his eyes narrowed slightly, most likely in a mixture of confusion and anger. 

"I knocked on the door. You _had _to have heard me," Light growled.

"Ah, yes. I heard that," Ryuuzaki agreed easily.

"And you didn't answer?" the younger boy demanded hotly.

"I didn't know who it was and I have to be careful," Ryuuzaki answered simply.

"Didn't know who it--for crying out loud! I _announced _it was me!"

Ryuuzaki shrugged before replying, "There could be many Raito's in Japan."

"With my exact voice?" 

"You should've used the pseudonym I gave you, then," Ryuuzaki suggested. "Then I definitely would've known it was you."

"You're a hypocrite," Light hissed. "You entered Raito Yagami into the system here. Why didn't you use that pseudonym _then_?"

"I was going to tell you to use it as a safe word, but you left before I could tell you." Ryuuzaki paused before removing the finger from his mouth and asking, "And why does Yagami-kun smell like perfume?"

Light gave him a look that could kill cats. He was cranky. He was wet. He was cold. He was uncomfortable. He had to make two trips up to the room. He had to _beg_ a useless girl. He looked like he had just had a run-in with a tornado.

He wanted a shower.

He stood up and as he did so he felt several cold droplets of water slide down the back of his calves. Ryuuzaki regarded Light as he turned in the direction of the bathroom.

"Yagami-kun…" Ryuuzaki called softly. "What happened? Did you not take my advice on the umbrella?" 

"Shut. Up."

With that as his parting farewell, Light slammed the door to the bathroom and peeled off his clothes--quite literally--as he took his second shower of the day.

_**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**_

(1) It's what the my help manual commonly calls my own laptop. I found it humorous, how 'bout you?

(2) -shifty eyes- Moe Rikyo (also known as Meroko) is a character from another anime. If you know the anime, I congratulate you. If not, that's fine, this isn't a crossover. I just needed her for a small tidbit and didn't feel like making an OC. So sue me--I'm tired from school and feeling lazy. But, Moe/Meroko also seems like the type of girl who would be a Raito fan girl. XP 

---

_Last thought from Raito:_

_Kira, heed my prayer: Kill a certain detective for me and I'll be your ever-faithful servant… Signed, Raito, the one who needs you most right now…_

---

**GOMENASAI! It's been way too long, ne? I won't bore you with the details, but does this extra long chapter make it up to you? I now have a beta--everyone bow before the amazing **Lifelong-Lemon-Lover **for being the beta of this. **

**Also… I know Light seemed slightly out of character--truly, I do. (I don't mean the punching--he would, indeed, punch Ryuuzaki as we all know.) **

**Alright. I'm done. Hopefully, my wonderful reviewers are still reading this after the three month wait. There definitely won't be such a wait for chapter 4--I guarantee it!**

**Please review…! I am a review monster--feed me? I'll die without reviews! (And I give a planet of thanks to those who reviewed chapter 2!)**


End file.
